Operation Dragon Fire
by protejerinnocencia
Summary: Charlie Weasley's life has been about dragons for as long as anyone can remember.  But this Christmas it is all about to change.  Can the rest of the family find him the perfect match?
1. Christmas Odds

Christmas Odds

The air was crisp as he walked back into the house, wiping his shoes on the front mat. He pulled off his traveling cloak and hung it haphazardly on the coat wrack.

"I'm home," he called out. Ginny appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"Oh good you're home early," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Well it is Christmas," he murmured. The pair stood like that in the front hall for a few minutes more, only to be interrupted by the sound of their eldest son's voice.

"That's so disgusting," James said, making a face.

"It won't be disgusting forever," Harry said, dislodging himself from his wife's grasp. He crossed the hall and tussled his son's hair.

"It will always be disgusting when you two do it," the ten-year-old said. Harry just laughed and headed for the kitchen.

"Percy sent mail this morning. Penelope's had a little girl," Ginny informed her husband of the latest addition to the Weasley clan.

"I do hope they haven't named her something awful like Pricilla," Harry joked.

"You're horrible" Ginny scolded, fixing her husband with the classic Weasley glare.

"Alright. So what'd they name her then?" he asked.

"They named her Prudence," she said, reading from Percy's letter.

"It's better than Pricilla," Harry sniggered just as Albus came wandering in.

"Dad, you're home," the eight year old said, looking surprised.

"What? I can't come home early for Christmas?" Harry questioned. Albus just smiled at his father.

"Mum, when are we going to Grandma and Granddad's?" the boy asked.

"Not until six," she answered, eying the clock.

"Why can't we go now?" he whined.

"Because we have to finish getting ready. Have you bathed? And we've got to finish wrapping presents," Harry replied in his wife's stead. Albus sighed at the bathing comment.

"Go on. Get in the bath. The faster you get in, the sooner you get out and we go to Grandma and Granddad's," Ginny said, shooing her middle child out of the kitchen.

The afternoon passed by fairly quickly despite Albus' previous protests. By five fifteen all three children had bathed and were dressed. Harry had finished a few last minute presents for Rose and Hugo as well some of the other nieces and nephews. Just as Harry was finishing up putting away the lunch dishes there was a loud thump from the sitting room. Harry rushed in to find a rather soot covered Teddy Lupin.

"Oi, Harry. You should clean that out. It's right disgusting," the six-teen-year-old said with a cough.

"Teddy's here!" Lily screeched from the top of the stairs.

"Merry Christmas Lily," he said, giving the girl a wave.

"I'll tell James he needs to clean it better. Come on, we're about ready to leave," Harry said, dusting his godson off a bit.

Across town, Ron and Hermione were in much the same state of last minute preparations. Of course it was mostly Ron who was running late. Hermione had all of her presents picked out and wrapped months ago.

"Honestly, Ronald. If you'd done this last weekend we wouldn't be running about like chickens with our heads cut off," Hermione bemoaned as Ron struggled with trying to tape the paper around the new broom he'd bought for James.

"Just another minute 'Mione and I'll be set. Are the kids ready?" he said, biting off the tape with his teeth.

"They've been ready since about eleven this morning. You know how they love Christmas at your parents," she said.

"Well I suppose we're ready. Mum won't mind if we show up a bit early. She'll just rope us into doing some sort of chore or other," Ron muttered.

"Rosie! Hugo! Come on, we're leaving," he bellowed up the stairs. Two pair of footsteps pounded down the stairs and Rose and Hugo appeared.

"Are we going by Floo, Dad?" Rose asked.

"We're going to do side Apparition. Don't want to clog up the Floo with everyone else showing up," Hermione answered her daughter. Rose's eyes bulged a little bit.

"Oh don't worry honey. You won't get splinched," she said.

"Nice way to scare the poor child," Ron muttered as he grabbed hold of Hugo. Hermione shot a dark look in her husband's direction as they all disappeared. They reappeared in the back yard of the Burrow. They didn't see anyone else so they headed in.

"Mum we're here," Ron called out.

"Oh Ron dear," Molly's voice echoed as she appeared, pulling her youngest son into a firm hug.

"Merry Christmas dears," she said, kissing her grandchildren on the cheeks.

"Happy Christmas, Mum," Hermione said, hugging Molly as well.

Shortly after Ron and Hermione had arrived. Bill and Fleur appeared with Victoire and Celeste trailing them.

"Celeste, why don't you go play with Rosie and Hugo," Bill told his daughters. She raced up the rickety stairs to find her cousins.

"Daddy? Is Teddy coming?" Victoire asked.

"I'm not sure. You'll have to wait until Uncle Harry gets here and ask him," Bill replied, taking the stack of presents out of Fleur's arms.

Not five minutes after Bill had spoken, Harry and his family turned up by Floo. Teddy spotted Victoire and dusted his robes off a bit more.

"Merry Christmas Teddy," she said, giving him a wave.

"Merry Christmas," he answered, nearly tripping over his own feet trying to get out of the fireplace.

"Behave you two," Bill ordered sternly as they rushed off.

"Evening Mum," Ginny said, giving her mother a big hug.

"Where's Dad?" she asked, looking around.

"Oh he'll be home in a bit. He has to finish some things up at work," Molly replied.

"Where's Hugo and Rosie?" Lily asked, tugging on her father's sleeve.

"They've gone upstairs to your mum's old room," Molly told her. Lily sprinted towards the stairs.

"Hey wait for us!" Albus and James called in unison, racing after their sister.

"It's as if they haven't seen each other in months," Hermione sighed, coming in from the kitchen. Now that a large portion of the family had arrived, Molly began dishing out tasks to people. Harry and Ron were setting the table when George and Angelina arrived by broom. Angelina was too far into the pregnancy to risk splinching in apparition.

"Oh you look wonderful," Ginny gushed over her sister-in-law.

"Thanks Gin," Angelina said, giving the younger girl a hug.

"Have Percy and Penelope arrived yet? I'm dying to see the new baby," she said, looking around.

"No they're last to arrive aside from Charlie," Hermione called from the kitchen.

Half an hour later the last of the family had yet to arrive. Molly was pacing back and forth in the kitchen.

"Mum, they'll come," Ginny said, growing tired of her mother's pacing.

"I know I just…the children are getting antsy," Molly lied. She was anxious to see her new granddaughter.

"I'm home!" Arthur called out as he came in the back door.

"And Percy and Penelope and baby have just arrived," he added as he held the door. Instantly Molly was hovering over her daughter-in-law.

"Mum, do give her some space," Percy commented.

"Oh isn't she just precious," Molly cooed. As Molly continued to fawn over the child, other members of the family wandered in to greet the latest arrivals.

"How's fatherhood feeling?" George asked his older brother.

"Odd. It still doesn't seem real," Percy admitted.

"Yeah…I expect it will be that way for us when Angie has the baby," George agreed.

"Grandma…can we eat yet?" James asked, coming into the room. The rest of the cousins had followed and the girls were now huddled around Penelope.

"We've got to wait for Uncle Charlie dear," Molly answered, giving her grandson a sad smile.

"I hope he gets here soon. I'm starving," Albus added, rubbing his stomach for effect.

"Be patient the both of you," Ginny reminded her sons.

"Yes Mum," they mumbled.

Another hour had passed and Molly had given in to her grandchildren's' hunger. They all sat down to dinner and were enjoying pudding for desert when a pop was heard in the back yard. Chairs scraped back and people began to clamor into the kitchen, trying to peer out the window to see if it was Charlie.

"He's here," Arthur announced to those who could not see.

"Has he come with anyone?" a chorus of voices rang out. Before Arthur could reply, the door opened and Charlie slipped inside. The mass of people was still huddled around the window, trying to discern where he'd gone to.

"What are you all staring at?" Charlie asked from behind them. They all turned, several of them blushing. No one moved or spoke at first.

"You're here," Molly exclaimed, pulling her oldest son into her arms.

"Sorry I'm late, Mum," Charlie apologized.

"We had a couple of dragons who'd gotten into a scuffle and we had to tame them down a bit," he explained.

"It's alright. Come on, sit down. Have some supper. We would have waited but the children got hungry," she rambled. Everyone sat back down and all eyes were on Charlie as he ate his meal. He'd come to Christmas without anyone…again.


	2. Presenting Uncle Christmas

Presenting Uncle Christmas

Once Charlie had finished his meal under the scrutiny of his parents, five siblings and their families they all headed into the sitting room where presents were stacked high under and around the large tree. There was a brightly shining angel atop the tree that was waving to anyone that paid her any ounce of attention.

"Who wants presents?" Molly called out.

"Me!" a loud chorus of young voices bellowed as hands started darting towards brightly wrapped packages. The adults watched the madness of the holiday until finally Ron let out a loud, piercing whistle. All the kids looked up and Rose and Hugo dropped the parcels in their hands.

"We're going to do this civilized," Ron stated firmly. He looked around at the adults.

"I say one of you ought to be Father Christmas," Ginny said, looking around at her brothers and Harry. George and Bill shared a devious look. Ron and Harry seemed to catch on quickly as well.

"I say Charlie does it," George called out, slapping his sibling on the shoulder.

"But then he won't be Father Christmas," Rose piped up.

"He won't?" Hermione asked of her daughter.

"No. He's got to be Uncle Christmas," she said with a giggle. The other cousins began laughing as well.

"So how about it Uncle Christmas?" Ron said, stifling a laugh at his brother's expense.

"Alright, alright. But I'll need a helper. How about...Lily," he said, picking out his youngest niece. She scurried from her seat next to Rose and climbed into her Uncle's lap. Charlie smiled down at the child. She definitely looked like Ginny.

"Oh, do me first Uncle Charlie," James begged.

"James, wait your turn," Harry scolded. Charlie gave his nephew a sympathetic smile as Lily handed him the first gift.

"Looks like we've got one for Hugo from Grandma and Granddad," he read the label aloud. Lily handed it to her cousin. He stared at it for a minute.

"Can I open it, Mum?" he asked, looking at Hermione.

"Go ahead," she said. He tore into the paper to find a newly embroidered set of travel cloaks. He hugged them tightly, ignoring the snickering of James and Albus.

"Thanks Grandma. Thanks Grandad," he said, getting up to hug each of them.

"Whose next?" Harry asked as Lily grabbed another present. Charlie took and read the name aloud. Lily took it and handed it to her oldest brother. He tore the paper off to find the broom Ron had been wrapping earlier.

"Brilliant. Dad, can I go ride it?" James exclaimed. Before Harry could even answer, Ginny fixed her son with a look worthy of Molly. He sat down, not saying another word. The process continued in much the same fashion until each child had received at least two presents. Charlie began passing out presents to the adults.

Percy and Penelope received quite a lot of baby clothes and other paraphernalia. They were beaming. New dress robes abounded amidst the various couples. Harry ha gotten some new broom polish from George and Angelina. Ron had given him a miniature set of Quidditch balls. Hermione and Ginny had exchanged the latest books they'd both read. Fleur handed Charlie a long bottle shaped object.

"Do enjoy eet," she said in her accent, as thick as ever. Charlie eyed the present an opened it to find a bottle of very expensive looking French wine.

"Thanks," he said, kissing his sister-in-law on the cheek and shaking Bill's hand. There were still a bunch of gifts sitting behind the tree that had not been touched.

"What about those ones?" Albus pointed, drawing the attention of the other children.

"Lily go get them," James ordered.

"Daddy, James is telling me what to do," Lily whimpered. James rolled his eyes at the six-year-old.

"James leave your sister be," Harry shot.

"I didn't anything,' James grumbled. Charlie tried to hide a smile but it didn't work too well. He summoned the last bag of gifts. He handed them out, one to each person.

"Merry Christmas everyone," he said, arms crossed over his chest.

They all looked at the small packages in their hands. Ginny was the first to open her gift. It was a simple gold chain with a pendant on the end with her initials in it.

"Oh Charlie it's beautiful," she said, throwing her arms around her big brother.

"I've got one too," Angelina commented.

"So 'ave I," Fleur exclaimed. At this point everyone else had attacked the gift in his or her hand. They all came up holding similar pendants.

"It's a necklace," James scoffed.

"It's not just a necklace, James," Charlie corrected his nephew.

"What is it then?" Hermione question, starting to put it on.

"They're portkeys," he said.

"Portkeys? For Christmas?" Percy asked, laughing a little.

"I want you all to come to visit Romania for a while. Over the rest of the Holiday. Don't want to keep the older kids out of school," he explained, looking extremely proud of himself.

"Oh how exciting!" Rose squealed.

"Yes...oh Mum can we go?" Celeste begged.

"We 'ave been eenvited. Of course we will go," she answered. Hermione looked at Harry and over to Arthur. They seemed to know what she was thinking.

"We should be able to get a week ro tow off for holidays," Harry assured her.

"Oh Charlie, dear. What a wonderful present," Molly gushed, once more pulling him into a bear hug. Teddy, who had been quiet except for a few 'thank you's now spoke up.

"You mean...I can come too?" he asked, looking shocked that he had found a pendant as well.

"Of course you're coming, Teddy. You're part of this family," Harry said, slapping his godson on the shoulder.

"I'm sure your Grams won't mind," Ginny added. Teddy beamed wildly, eyeing Victoire Bill caught the flirtatious eye gazing and cleared his throat. His oldest daughter blushed and looked away.

"Charlie...what happens after they've been used for the trip?" Penelope asked, shifting baby Prudence in her lap.

"They're set for one trip to and back. So after you get back you're free to wear them about whenever you'd like," he answered.

The large gathering fell into silence, the children sharing and testing out their new presents. Harry had taken his children's pendants so they wouldn't accidentally get shipped off to Romania. Bill and Ron followed suit. Around ten o'clock Percy and Penelope headed out.

"It was great to see everyone. We'll see you all in a few days for the trip," Percy called as he ushered his wife out the back door. On the couch, Lily and Hugo had fallen asleep. Albus was almost there as well.

"We should head out before they all take up roots on the couch," Ron sighed, picking up Hugo in his arms. Hermione roused Rose and they headed for the kitchen.

"Bye Mum," Ron called over his shoulder as they disappeared with a 'pop'.

Shortly George and Angelina left, kicking off in the backyard, Angelina's broom sagging a little under her weight. That left Bill and Fleur, their girls, Harry and Ginny and their kids and Charlie.

"Girls come on. We've got a bit to travel. We'll see everyone in a few days," Bill called, having to drag Victoire away from Teddy.

Harry and Ginny started picking up stray paper while Charlie helped Molly with the dishes. Harry had to lift Albus' head to get a large chunk of paper.

"What a fun gift,"Ginny murmured as she tossed more of the wrappings in the rubbish bin.

"Yeah. It will be nice to get a little holiday. I think the kids are old enough," Harry agreed.

"Oh but I do hope Mum doesn't read into it. You know how she gets," Ginny groaned as she heard Molly trying to badger most likely nonexistent information out of her oldest son.

"I feel bad for him, I do," Harry sniggered. Just then Charlie walked in.

"I'm off. I'll see you lot in a few days," he said, giving Harry and Ginny firm hugs. The small commotion had roused Albus from sleep.

"Are you leaving Uncle Charlie?" he asked, his eyes still groggy.

"That I am Alby," he said, giving his nephew's arm a squeeze.

"Will we get to see real dragons?" he asked, sounding a little more awake.

"Maybe. But you can't go feeding anybody to them you understand," Charlie said.

"Oh don't give him any ideas," Ginny snapped. With a few more parting words, Harry and his small family were the only ones left.

"We better get home and give Mum and Dad the house back," Ginn murmured, picking up Lily and shaking James.

"We're going home. Get up," she said softly. The ten-year-old groaned but sat up.

"Has anyone seen Teddy?" Ginny asked, realizing he wasn't with them.

"Mum, have you seen Teddy?" Harry asked.

"Oh...yes he's out in back with Arthur," Molly answered and headed in tht direction.

"Teddy, time to leave," she bellowed. The teen appeared and dusted off his hands and waved to Arthur. Once they had all made sure they had all of their presents they stepped through the Floo.

"What a wonderful Christmas," Arthur said, giving Molly a peck on the cheek.


	3. When in Romania

When in Romania

The weekend passed and everyone was growing anxious to visit Charlie in Romania. The day after they had gotten home from Christmas at the Burrow, Lily had started packing. Ginny had walked into her room to find her daughter's floor covered with articles of clothing.

"Lily sweetie. What are you doing?" she asked as her daughter tossed shirts over her shoulder.

"Packing," the six-year-old answered.

"We're not leaving for another five days. You don't have to pack yet," Ginny told her, starting to magically sort clothes and put them back in drawers.

"But I want to go now," Lily protested.

"I know it is exciting Lilybug. I know it is. But you won't have anything to wear between now and then," Ginny murmured, managing to calm her. Lily gave a little huff but began unpacking her suitcase.

That was three days ago and now Ginny was trying to get all three kids packed as well as her own things together. Currently she was rushing around the bedroom as Harry calmly packed his bag.

"I should have just let her pack when she wanted to," Ginny bemoaned.

"Gin, we'll be fine," her husband sighed, taking her by the hand to stop her pacing. It had to be a Weasley trait. Ginny just nodded, resting her head on Harry's shoulder. Just as they were enjoying being in each others arms, a loud scream pulled them apart.

"Mum!" Albus bellowed from down the hall. Ginny rolled her eyes but went to see what the dilemma was.

"What is going on in here?" she asked, seeing both her sons in Albus' room.

"He took my cloak," James accused.

"I did not!" Albus shot back.

"That's enough. Give me the cloak," she demanded. Albus handed the garment over. She examined it.

"James, this is your brother's. Now go on. Finish packing and leave him be," she snapped. James glared at his brother and sulked out of the room.

"Mum, I'm done," Lily called from her room.

"Alright dear. Why don't you bring your suitcase downstairs then," Ginny replied, heading back to the master bedroom.

"Everything alright?" Harry asked.

"I swear they never stop fighting," she grumbled as she flicked her wand at the rest of her clothing.

Over at Andromeda Tonks' flat, Teddy was fretting over what to pack. His Grams was patiently sitting on his bed, folding and placing the clothes into his bag.

"Should I bring this?" Teddy asked, holding up a photograph of his parents that Harry had given him a few years back.

"Do you need it?' she asked, giving her grandson a weary smile.

"I suppose not…it's only a few weeks," Teddy replied. He continued to pick out clothing.

"You'll be alright won't you?" he asked, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving his grandmother for the remainder of the Christmas Holidays.

"Of course I will. I manage just fine while you're off at school. Besides, you'll be home from Hogwarts before you know it for summer," Andromeda answered, ruffling his hair that had just turned a very odd shade of magenta.

On the outskirts of Paris, Bill and Fleur were also in the midst of packing. Their household however gave the appearance of being organized. Victoire was making her sister reorganize her bags for the third time that morning.

"It is fine that way," Celeste protested.

"But you can't find anything," Victoire retorted.

"What ees going on een 'ere?" Fleur asked, sticking her head in the doorway.

"Victoire won't leave my things alone," the younger of the two answered.

"Victoire, let your seester be," their mother scolded lightly. Victoire nodded and went back to her own things. Fleur gave her younger daughter a smile before heading back to finishing her own packing.

Back in London, George and Angelina were sitting out on the small glassed in balcony overlooking the street. George caught his wife rubbing her large stomach and smiled.

"You sure you want to go?" he asked.

"Of course I want to go you twit. Why wouldn't I?" she answered with a laugh.

"Well with the baby coming in the next month or so…we'd be cutting it a bit short," George murmured.

"I'll be fine. We'll be heading home in a couple of weeks. And we're going by portkey so the baby will be safe," Angelina retorted.

"If you say so," he muttered.

"We've packed everything, right?" she asked after a brief silence.

'I believe so," George answered with a nod.

"Well I think I'm going to go lay down for a while. I'm feeling a bit light headed," she announced. George helped her up and escorted her inside. As he slipped from the bedroom he couldn't help but think about his nieces and nephews, no doubt all anxiously waiting for the morning so they could leave.

George's thoughts were dead on. Hugo and Rose went to bed much to easily that night. Both were hoping the sooner their heads hit the pillows, the sooner they would be able to get up and head over to the Burrow to leave. James and Albus were much the same way. Lily however gave more trouble. Ginny found her daughter sitting in the middle of her bed, legs crossed beneath her. She was turning the necklace from Charlie over between her small fingers.

"Lilybug, what are you doing?" Ginny asked, sitting beside her youngest child.

"Waiting," the six-year-old answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sweetheart, you need to get into bed. You don't want to be tired tomorrow when we get there," Ginny coaxed, realizing her daughter was dressed for the morning.

"I don't want to," Lily whined.

"Lily, come on. Get into bed. You need your rest," her mother scolded. Lily gave a prolonged huff but begrudgingly kicked off her shoes and put on her night clothes. Ginny placed the pendant on the night table to her right and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Sleep tight," Ginny whispered as she shut the door.

The next morning was buzzing with excitement as children presented themselves in record time. Harry hadn't even gotten out of the shower when James and Albus rushed passed the bathroom to get to the breakfast table.

"Boys, slow down!" Ginny ordered as she watched her sons start to inhale their bacon and eggs.

Harry walked in a short time later to see the boys' plates empty as they watched Lily slowly consume her meal.

"Morning," Harry greeted his family.

"When do we leave?" James asked, resting his elbows on the table.

"As soon as your Mum and I finish eating," Harry answered.

"Me too," Lily added. Harry nodded, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting down beside her.

Twenty minutes later, the Burrow began to find itself gaining occupants. Most everyone had decided to come by Floo or broom. They didn't want to risk accidentally activating the portkey. Presently, the house contained Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Harry and the three children, Percy, Penelope and the baby and Bill. Fleur had had to wait while Victoire went in search of her necklace. Teddy arrived with Andromeda.

"Teddy!" Lily squealed, latching onto him.

"Hi Lily. Mind letting go a bit?" he greeted, trying to worm his way out of the child's grasp.

"Be a good boy, Teddy," Andromeda said, fixing the boy with a stern look.

"Don't worry we'll keep an eye on him," Molly said.

"Bye Grams," he said, hugging her tightly. With that Andromeda stepped back through the fireplace. Not two minutes later, Fleur and the girls arrived followed by Hermione and Ron.

"We're just waiting on George and Angelina I believe," Arthur announced as the every milled about with luggage cluttering up every nook and cranny of the sitting room.

"We're here!" George bellowed, sounding out of breath as he and Angelina walked in from the backyard.

"You didn't have to rush," Molly said.

"We didn't want to keep everyone else waiting," Angelina huffed, setting her bag down.

"Well everyone is here," Ron remarked.

"Shall we go then?" Bill asked and the massive group of people nodded. Everyone donned their necklaces and gathered bags. Collectively the Weasley clan disappeared with a pull behind the navel. When they all caught their balance they were standing in a large open area under slightly cloudy skies.

"Where are the dragons?" James asked eagerly, looking around but seeing nothing.

No one was able to answer because they didn't see anything either. Finally Hermione spotted a figure walking towards them; tall, tanned with flaming red hair.

"You all arrived a bit earlier than I expected," Charlie called, waving them closer. They moved as if they were a swarm of bees towards him.

"Oh so sorry dear," Molly apologized.

"Don't worry about it, Mum. Everything is fine. Come on, I'll give you a little tour of the place," he offered.

"Maybe we can set our bags down first?" Arthur called.

'Yeah…of course. Uh…we've got some tents set up over here," Charlie said, ushering the mass of people towards six tents. Each contingent of the family took a tent, with Molly and Arthur sharing with Percy, Penelope and Prudence.

Some ten minutes later Charlie was leading them around the rather large encampment. There were about two dozen workers who all stopped to give a wave and a shout as they all passed.

"Uncle Charlie…where are the dragons?" Albus asked, tugging on Charlie's canvas jacket.

"Well we can't see everything tonight Alby. Don't worry…you'll get to see them," Charlie promised, smiling down at his nephew, the spitting image of his father.

"Can we play with them?" Hugo questioned.

"You're not going to play with dragons," Hermione scoffed.

"Don't tell Hagrid that. He'd likely have a heart attack," Ron sniggered in Harry's ear. They all remembered Norbert.

"Well that's really all there is to see in the evening. The dragons are usually settled down by now," Charlie explained.

"We've got a lovely dining facility over that way if anyone is hungry," he added, pointing to the barracks to their left.

"Mum…what about toilets?" Lily whispered in Ginny's ear.

"You got to go out in the dirt," James teased, earning a smack from his father.

"Ew," Lily grimaced.

"I'm sure we'll figure everything out. I'm sure the tents have facilities," Ginny assured her daughter.

With the tour concluded, the family began to break up into little groups, heading in various directions. They had figured it would be easiest if they ate in shifts so as not to completely overwhelm the dining barracks. By the time the sun had fully set beyond the horizon everyone had eaten and the younger children had been put to bed. Victoire and Teddy were presently trying to sneak off to a secluded area away from the adults but made it as far as Molly and Arthur's tent before being spotted.

"Where do you think you two are going?" Hermione called, the two teens stopping dead in their tracks.

"Uh…just for a walk," Teddy answered shakily.

"At this hour?" she questioned with a raised brow.

"Yes," Victoire said with a nod.

"Nice try you two. You're a bit young to be sneaking off for a snog," she said, flashing them a wry smile.

"But…I suppose if you're back in a half hour I can pretend I didn't see you," she said, laughing a little. She knew they were good kids and that they would behave themselves.

"Thanks Aunt Hermione," Victoire said as they continued on their way.

Dutifully they returned after a half hour, looking slightly red faced but calm. They turned in for the night leaving only Ron and Angelina outside. Ron was just taking in the night sky and enjoying the fresh air. Angelina on the other hand looked very flushed and uneasy on her feet.

"Nice night," Ron commented, not looking at his sister-in-law as he spoke.

"Pretty nice," Angelina agreed, rubbing her stomach.

"You feeling alright?" Ron asked, spotting how uncomfortable she looked.

"Yeah…I just need to get up and move around a bit at night to settle the baby. Beats me like his father used to beat a Bludger," she replied, not looking at all convinced of how she felt. Before either could speak she was bent double, her face contorted in pain. When she could finally force her voice to pass through her vocal chords she rasped out two words.

"Get George."


	4. Baby Number Nine

Baby Number Nine

Ron stared at his sister-in-law for a minute, trying to wrap his brain around what was happening. When he finally did figure out that he should heed her goan, he sprinted towards their tent. He found George sound asleep, snoring softly.

"George, wake up," Ron hissed, shaking his brother's arm vigorously. He got no response. It was then that he noticed George was sleeping with his hear pressed firmly to the pillow. Gron grumbled as he stormed to the other side of the bed.

"Wake up you dolt! Angelina's going into labor," Ron boomed. George sat bolt upright, looking around wildly.

"What's going on?" he asked groggily;

"Just come on," Ron groaned, dragging George by the elbow back outside. Angelina had now managed to get herself into a squatting position.

"Blimey! He can't be coming now," George exclaimed.

"He is," Angelina grunted.

"What do we do? I don't know how to...get Mum...she'll know what to do," George babbled. With a huff, Ron started towards Molly and Arthur's tent. He found Penelope sitting on the edge of the bed, nursing the baby.

"Ron," she gasped, looking startled and embarassed to be caught bare breasted by her brother-in-law.

"Sorry Penelope um...I was just coming to look for Mum," Ron muttered. The conversation, brief as it was, was enough to wake Molly and Arthur.

"Ron...what's going on?" Molly asked, immediately noting the presence of her youngest son.

"Angelina's going into labor. We've got no idea what to do. George is a bumbling mess and...they've turned me into a bloody messenger owl," Ron explained.

"Oh my. Arthur come on," Molly squealed, running from the tent.

Arthur darted after his wife and Ron, after catching his breath, followed. Percy had also woken up to the loud noises.

"What's the matter?" he yawned as he watched his wife put their daughter in the cradle beside their bed.

"Angie's having the baby," she answered calmly. With a nod, Percy laid back down and was sound asleep in minutes.

The commotion outside had now drawn Bill and Fleur as well as Ginny. Molly and George were trying to make Angelina as comfortable as they could outside on the hard ground. Arthur was pacing back and forth, about as much help as a piece of wood.

"Ginny...go and get some pillows and blankets," Molly ordered, starting to take charge.

Ginny sprinted off back into her and Harry's tent. Just as she was gathering some extra pillows and blankets, Lily sat up, obviously started by all the sudden noise.

"Mum...what are you doing?' the six-year-old asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Nothing to worry about. Just go back to sleep," Ginny whispered. She looked up to see Harry pulling on pants.

"Why don't you stay with the kids," Ginny suggested.

"Right...I'll go get Hugo and Rosie," Harry muttered. He followed his wife out of the tent and collected his nieces and nephew, directing them as quickly and discreetly as he could back into their tent.

"What's going on, Harry?" Teddy asked.

"Angie's gone into labor," Harry replied in a low tone, not wanting to startle the younger children.

"Wow," was all Teddy could manage to get out.

Back outside, Ginny had propped Angelina's head up on some pillows and spread the blankets beneath her to try and sterilize the ground. Despite these gestures, Angelina was still extremely uncomfortable. Bill and Fleur were just looking on helplessly as Molly tried to coach Agnelina through breathing patterns. Finally she looked up at Bill and pointed.

"Go get Charlie," she snapped.

"Mum...I know you want to share this with the whole family but.." Bill began.

"Just get him," she boomed. Bill nodded and headed off in search of his brother. George looked from his brother's retreating form, to his mother to his wife and back again.

"Why exactly do we need Charlie?" George asked.

"He's got to have some equipment and besides...it would be good practice," Molly muttered.

"He's not a doctor Mum. He handles dragons," Ginny grumbled.

"Yeah..what can he do to help? I mean dragons lay eggs," George added. Before either of them could say anything more, two pair of footsteps pounded against the ground nearby. Bill and Charlie came into view, both looking out of breath. Charlie was dressed in a pair of shorts and must have pulled on a jacket because his chest was visible.

"Bill said Angelina was..." Charlie gasped as he finally came to a stop. He saw his sister-in-law clearly in pain.

"You're going to need to do it," Molly insisted.

"What?" Charlie asked, looking flabbergasted at his mother's statement.

"Well none of us have any training," Molly retorted.

"Mum...have you gone mental? First of all...I've never even had a baby. What makes you think I'm best equipped to deliver one?" Charlie exclaimed.

"Told you," Ginny and George sniggered.

Inside Harry and Ginny's tent, the children were growing restless. The girls were peeking out the tent flaps to try and get a glimpse of what was going on.

"I can't see," Rose grumbled.

"Rosie, come back in here," Harry ordered. She sighed but obeyed.

"When is the baby coming?" Lily begged.

"Babies take a while to be born, sweetie. Just be patient," he answered his youngest child. She frowned as he slipped out of the tent.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked just as Angelina let out a booming cry of pain.

"No. Mum has lost her mind," Ginny answered.

"I need to...push," Angie ground out. Biting the bullet as it were, Charlie bent down and peered between her legs, trying not to blush too much.

"I uh...think I see a head," he called. He looked around him, spotting Fleur.

"I need some gloves and something to wipe it off," he said, addressing her. She rushed off towards her tent. She returned with some clean clothes and a pair of gloves.

"'Ere you go," she said. He took the gloves and put them on.

"Ok, Angelina. Just...push," Charlie instructed, hoping he wasn't dooming the baby to death.

She bore down, chin pressed to her chest as she breathed through the pain. As her body relaxed Charlie reached up and tried to clear the baby's nasal passages.

"Again," he said. George squeezed her hand firmly By now a couple of Charlie's colleagues had been roused from bed; A young man with dirty blond hair had taken in the scene and rushed to get a pair of scissors.

Twenty minutes later, the baby head and upper torso were protruding. Charlie managed to clear some of the mucus out of the baby's air passages and he was crying a little. Angelina looked exhausted.

"Come on. One more good push and it will all be over," Molly whispered.

"I can't," Angie rasped, her chest heaving.

"Yes you can," George breathed. He squeeze her hand as hard as he could, somehow hoping his efforts would transfer into her and deliver the baby. With all the strength she could muster, she pushed one last time, the rest of the child's body sliding from the womb.

Charlie held up his newest nephew for the family so see and was able to clear the rest of the mucus and the baby began to wail loudly. Inside Harry and Ginny's tent, the girls began to squeal with delight as they heard the infant wailing.

"The new baby's here!" Lily said, jumping up and down.

"Do you think it's a boy or girl?" Celeste asked her older sister.

"I think it's a girl," Rose interjected.

"No..it's a boy," James argued.

"We'll find out in a minute," Harry silenced them all.

The child's wails subsided a little bit and the voices outside grew quieter as well. Angelina's eyes were closed as she rested her head against the mass of pillows.

"You did great," George murmured in her ear.

"So does this little guy have a name?" Charlie asked, handing him to Molly to be swaddled.

"Fred," George answered instantly. Angelina didn't argue.

"Well then, Happy Birthday Fred," a chorus of voices echoed in the night air.

"It's a boy!" Albus exclaimed, bursting out of the tent. The rest of the cousins and Teddy followed after him, crowding around Molly.

"All of you back up," she ordered, shooing them back a good foot or two.

"He's ok, right Mum?" Charlie asked, looking flushed.

"I think he's perfect," she answered, smoothing the soft ginger wisps of hair that spiraled out from the top of his head.

"Mum...hand him over. He's my son," George demanded, arms outstretched. With a small kiss, she handed the newborn over to his father.

"So...this is what...grandchild number eight?" Charlie questioned, looking around at the family. Some laughed and others just rolled their eyes.

"No, Uncle Charlie. It's number nine," Victoire answered as if it should be obvious. Charlie smiled, counting under his breath as he pointed to each of the kids.

"Blimey, you're right," he said with a laugh and a wink.


	5. Babies and Dragons

Babies and Dragons

The next morning came very fast, especially for George and Angelina. Neither had gotten much sleep. Presently they were both leaning over baby Fred, still in the blanket they had wrapped him in.

"We can't just keep him all wrapped up like this," Angelina groaned.

"Well we didn't think to bring anything for him. He was a bit…unexpected," George remarked. Just then there were footsteps outside their tent and Percy appeared. He had a pile of baby clothes in his arms.

"Morning," he greeted his brother and sister-in-law. Angelina eyed the pile of clothes and grabbed a one piece sleeper. It was a newborn size and oddly it was blue.

"Where did you get these?' she asked.

"Well…Penelope packed extra…she charmed it all to be blue," Percy answered.

"She…we thought you could use some things," he answered, blushing a bit.

"Thanks Percy," George said, taking the rest of the clothes from his brother's arms. Once the garments had been removed, Percy nodded and bolted from the tent.

"He's so strange," Angelina mumbled, realizing as she started to put the sleeper on that they didn't have any nappies.

"No nappies," she murmured.

"I'll go ask Penelope for some," George sighed and headed in the direction of their tent. He saw his nieces and nephews racing towards the dining barracks and he smiled. At least they were enjoying themselves.

"Penelope," George called into the tent.

"In here," she replied. He pushed the flap aside and walked in. She was bouncing Prudence in her lap.

"Can we have some nappies?" he asked, smiling down at his niece.

"Of course. Percy didn't give you any? The daft twit he is," Penelope answered with a laugh. George scooped the infant up while she went to retrieve the nappies.

"She's so innocent," he murmured, staring into her dark eyes. They would probably lighten as she got older.

"They usually are," Penelope agreed, handing him the nappies. George gave the baby a kiss before handing her back to her mother. With that they parted ways and George went back to help Angie finish dressing Fred.

Over at breakfast, the nieces and nephews were discussing the newest edition to their ranks.

"He's so adorable," Victoire gushed over her bowl of cereal.

"Who? Teddy?" Celeste teased. Victoire glared at her sister.

"I meant the baby," she napped back.

"Sure you did," her sister snickered back.

Victoire just shook her head at her sibling. James and Albus snickered behind their hands at their cousins' argument.

"Do you think we can take the baby to see the dragons?" Lily asked.

"No. It would be too dangerous," the answer came from Teddy. Lily looked upset.

"What about Prudence?" she asked and Teddy shook his head in the negative. Her pout increased. By that point Harry had overheard their conversation and squeezed his daughter's shoulder. Lily looked up at her father.

"Why can't we take the babies?" Lily begged.

"Because they're too small honey. They could get sick. Babies are very fragile," Harry tried to explain.

Lily sighed but seemed to accept the answer when her father said it. Once they had all finished eating they headed back to the tents to find Fred and Penelope sitting outside rocking the infants. Lily and Rose rushed up but stopped short when Harry cleared his throat.

"How is little Fred?" Ginny asked, bending over her nephew.

"Really quiet. Not quite living up to his name just yet," George answered with a smirk. As if on cue, the newborn began to bawl loudly. Several of the adults laughed as Angelina rushed out of their tent, looking very tired.

"Go back to bed, Angie. I've got him," George assured his wife, bouncing the baby in his arms. The gentle motion seemed to calm him slightly but he still whimpered in discomfort.

"Maybe he's hungry?" Hermione suggested just as Angelina was about to head back inside.

"He just ate," she commented with a yawn.

"Check his nappy. Maybe it needs to be changed," Penelope interjected. Angie shrugged and went to grab a new nappy and some baby wipes just in case. They laid Fred down on a blanket and indeed he needed a nappy change.

"Where's Uncle Charlie? I want to see the dragons," James asked, looking bored by the baby drama.

"I'm sure he'll be around. He has to work," Molly said.

"But he said he'd show up dragons," James protested.

"James Sirius Potter, that's enough," Harry snapped. James fell silent instantly.

The family dispersed into their respective tents to wait for Charlie to show up. An hour and forty-five minutes later he finally appeared in the direction of the dining barracks. James and Albus were the first ones to spot him and went flying out of the tent. Rose, Hugo and Lily weren't far behind.

"Are we going to see the dragons now?" Albus asked, jumping up and down. Charlie laughed and placed a firm hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"Take it easy Alby." Charlie said, his voice commanding the attention of all the nieces and nephews.

"We will go see the dragons, I promise. But first we have to lay down some rule about it," he explained. By now Teddy, Celeste and Victoire had joined them. Most of the adults had joined the kids. Angelina, Molly, Arthur and Penelope had elected to stay behind with the infants.

"What kind of rules?" Celeste questioned, tucking a strand of strawberry blond hair behind her ear.

"Well safety rules," he answered, hands shoved in his pockets.

They began to walk in the direction of the dragon pens. He explained that they needed to wear dragon hide gloves for protection against the fire and couldn't get too close to the larger dragons.

"Can we ride one?" James questioned.

"Just because your Father thinks he can ride anything that flies, doesn't mean you can," Ginny scolded before Charlie had a chance to answer.

"No…your Mum's right, though. Dragons aren't meant to be ridden on," Charlie agreed with his baby sister. Ginny couldn't help but give a smirk.

"Come on. Let's go meet the other handlers and see if we can find some friendly ones," he called, waving the group forward. James looked a little annoyed that he wouldn't get the chance to ride a dragon but his mood brightened when they rounded a corner and saw a large colony of multi-colored dragons.

"Wow!" Albus exclaimed, pointing at all the various colors and sizes.

"Pretty impressive," Teddy agreed. They continued walking, approaching a small group of people, all very tanned and bore similar burn marks to Charlie's muscled forearms.

"If any of my kids turn into charbroil I'm going to bloody kill you," Ron hissed in his brother's ear.

"Don't worry Ronnie. Nothing's going to happen to any of the kids. That wouldn't be much of a Christmas present now would it," Charlie snickered back, clapping his sibling on the shoulder. They finally reached the small group of people.

"Everyone, these are my colleagues; Matthew, Aaron and Rachel," he introduced the trio who were staring in slight awe at the mass following after Charlie.

"And this is my…family," he said, gesturing to the huddled mass.

"You weren't lying when you said it would be a mass," Rachel laughed. A gold band glinted on her left ring finger.

"Let's get them some gloves and get to seeing some dragons ay?" Matthew said in a thick accent. Charlie nodded and gloves began to circulate among the various family members.

The rest of the morning was spent interacting with some of the more friendly dragons. James did however take a dare from Rose and sneak p on a baby Norwegian Ridgeback and pet its head. He came away with just a singed t-shirt.

They were now gathered in camping chairs in a large clump outside the tents. Both of the babies were down for naps so Molly, Arthur, Penelope and Angelina could get a break and hear about the morning festivities.

"And I touched a baby one," James said proudly, showing off his burnt shirt.

"Don't say it too loudly. Your Mum might hear," Molly teased him.

"Uncle Charlie's friends are nice," Rose interjected.

"Co-workers," Celeste corrected her younger cousin.

"Oh…they were?" Arthur asked, the look in his eyes usually reserved from stumbling on some Muggle contraption by accident. Hermione caught his look and shook her head.

"Yes. I believe Aaron is from the Middle East somewhere. I couldn't quite place his accent. But he speaks very fine English. And was just darling with the younger children," she began, looking as if she was discussing her favorite book.

"Matthew seemed like a decent bloke too. He'd only been with the team a year or two," Ron added, feeling he should contribute something.

"I thought there were three," Molly interrupted.

"Well yes…Rachel I think she's from Whales maybe," Hermione answered.

"Rachel…is she-" Molly began to asked, looking hopeful.

"Married. Her husband is an archeologist. He stops by when he has time off from his digs," Hermione said.

"Oh," Molly sighed, looking rather upset by that news. Ginny instantly heard the tone of her mother's voice and heaved a sigh.

"Mum…whatever you are thinking, stop it right now. Charlie's a grown man and he can do what he likes," the youngest Weasley chided. Molly just looked at her daughter, a strangely gleeful glint in her eye. Perhaps Ginny had stumbled onto something.


	6. Hatching Plans

Hatching Plans

The afternoon passed by without so much as a word in reference to Charlie's coworkers. The younger kids had gone exploring around camp and had come back with what they deemed treasures; pieces of dragon egg shells and a scale or two that had been shed off over time. The adults had been relaxing and enjoying the warm weather while taking shifts to watch the infants.

"Mum, look what I got!" Albus bellowed, running up to where Ginny was sitting next to Fleur. He held out his hand to show her the dragon scale.

"That's…very nice sweetheart," Ginny murmured, looking slightly disgusted.

"What ees eet?" Fleur asked, bending forward to look at it.

"It's a dragon scale," Albus answered proudly.

"Oh," she murmured, sounding as repulsed as her sister-in-law.

The boy didn't seem to be too perturbed by the adults' reactions as he rushed off to find his father. Ginny and Fleur just shook their heads.

"Be happy you don't have boys," Ginny sighed.

Some ways away Teddy and Victoire were sitting under an overhang, arms draped over each other's shoulders. They were watching the younger kids running around and some of the workers from the camp going about their business.

"You're quiet today," Victoire murmured, brushing a lock of sandy hair out of Teddy's eyes.

"Sorry. Just been thinking that's all," Teddy answered.

"Thinking about what?" she pressed.

"How nice it was for Charlie to invite me along with everyone else," he muttered. Deep down he would have loved to take this trip with his parents and Grams. But of course that wasn't possible.

"Why wouldn't he? You're practically family already," Victoire questioned.

"Thanks," he sighed.

"I wonder what Grandma was all flustered about when we got back," she mused after a brief silence had passed between them.

"I think it had something to do with Rachel," he answered and she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Who is Rachel?" she asked. He couldn't help but laugh a little.

"One of his co-workers. Where were you this morning? Head in the clouds?" Teddy teased.

"I was a bit distracted," she answered, leaning over to kiss him on the lips.

"Oh really? Distracted by what?" he snickered.

"You," she breathed, tackling him to the ground. The pair lay there for some time until they heard footsteps. Victoire looked up to see Rose walk by. She spotted the two teens and gasped. Rose started to back away as if she was going to find the nearest adult and spill the beans when Victoire motioned for her to come closer. By this point Teddy had realized what was going on and sat up.

"What are you doing?" Rose asked.

"Uh…nothing. Just relaxing," Teddy answered.

"With kissing?" Rose giggled.

"How about...we keep this between us three?" Victoire asked, sounding a little nervous.

Rose considered her cousin's request for a while and then nodded her head. Teddy and Victoire seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief as the eight-year-old ran off again.

"Maybe we should go back?" he suggested and she nodded. He managed to get to his feet and pull her up. Together they headed back to where the rest of the family was relaxing and lounging around.

"Teddy, look at what I got!" Albus exclaimed, intercepting the two before they could part ways.

"What is it?" Victoire asked.

"It looks like an old dragon scale," Teddy answered.

"Uncle Charlie said I could keep it," the younger boy said excitedly. Teddy and Victoire both shook their heads and went their separate ways.

Not far away in Molly and Arthur's tent, Molly was pacing back and forth in front of her husband as he sat reading a muggle newspaper that Charlie had gotten for him.

"Molly dear would you please stop that? It's very dizzying," Arthur asked as he turned the page.

"I'm sorry but I just can't stop thinking," she sighed, finally sitting herself down across from him.

"What seems to be troubling you Molly?" he inquired, giving his wife a smile as he set down the paper.

"Well…it's Charlie. Poor man still hasn't married," she admitted. She couldn't deny the fact that she wanted all of her children to be married and have children. She was spoiled. She wanted lots of grandchildren.

"Molly, I know you want grandchildren. I do too but we can't force him to get married just to ease the burden of duty from the rest of the kids," Arthur commented.

"Oh I know that. Don't be so silly," Molly scoffed.

"But he always seems a bit lonely don't you think on holidays. Just himself," she commented.

"I suppose. But he loves what he does," he responded. Molly bit her lip before getting up once more and heading for the front of the tent.

"Dear where are you going?" Arthur called but did not receive and answer. Molly marched out of her tent and into Ginny and Harry's. She found Teddy lying on his back on his bunk.

"Teddy dear can I ask you a favor?" she asked, startling him. The sixteen-year-old slowly sat up and looked at her.

"I…I guess so," he mumbled.

"Could you be a dear and take the kids out maybe go find Charlie?" she asked. He eyed her quizzically.

"I suppose…but why?" he answered.

"Well the adults need to have a bit of a family meeting and its not something to concern the children with," she said, trying her best to answer his question but be vague at the same time.

"Sure," he said with a nod and they both headed back outside.

"Oh and don't tell Charlie about the meeting," Molly whispered as she left him to collect the troops.

He slowly began to gather the kids together to go on a scavenger hunt of sorts to find where Charlie was. None of the kids seemed to question his motives. They were all happy that Teddy was spending time with them. Once they had gotten a fair distance away Molly began to motion everyone towards her tent.

"Mum what's going on?" Ron asked, watching the kids walk away.

"Just get in. I'll explain everyone soon," she said hurriedly.

"Oh George and Angelina. Someone go get them," Molly ordered. Harry was closest to the flap and so he ducked out.

"Oi, we're having a family meeting in Mum's tent," he told them as he poked his head in.

"A family meeting?" George asked, looking confused.

"Yeah…no idea what about though. She's going a bit nutty if you ask me," Harry grumbled as they rejoined the crowded tent of people.

"Mum would you please tell us what's going on?" Bill asked once she'd shushed everyone.

"It's well…it's about your brother," she answered.

"Which one? If you hadn't noticed I've got several," Bill said with a smirk.

"Charlie," she snapped.

"Oh Mum, no. Please don't do this," Ginny begged. She seemed to be the only one who could sense what her mother was up to.

"Gin, she hasn't even said anything," Harry whispered.

"She doesn't have to. She's plotting something, I just know it," Ginny hissed in his ear.

"What about Charlie, Mum?" Penelope asked.

"Well as I'm sure you've all noticed over the last few years he tends to come for Christmas…alone," Molly began, pacing once more.

"We all know it happens. Heavens we were all crowded around the window this Christmas," she continued. She caught Ginny burying her head in her hands.

"So what are you saying?" Percy interrupted.

"I'm saying we as a family need to do something," she replied.

"We need to help him…get him on the right…track," she concluded.

"You mean to say we need to set him up on dates and hope that he'll find one good enough to marry?" Hermione asked, looking as appalled as Ginny felt.

"Well…he's not going to meet anyone out here," Molly answered.

"Yeah…before we know it he'll be bringing home a Norwegian Ridgeback and they'll be expecting eggs," George snickered.

"That's not funny, George," Ginny spat.

"So…are we all agreed then?" Molly asked.

"No. I'm not doing this. Charlie is happy with his life. We shouldn't go around mussing it up," Ginny said and stormed out. Harry looked only mildly surprised by his wife's outburst. He half expected Hermione to go join her but she didn't.

"Ok well then we will need to come up with some sort of plan…a way to let everyone know of potential matches," Molly said, looking overjoyed that the majority of the family had agreed to her plot.

With that everyone dispersed and went back to their own tents. Several hours later they found themselves at dinner and Hermione was sitting next to Ginny. Ginny looked angry still.

"I can't believe you agreed to her little…match making service," Ginny grumbled.

"I didn't, Ginny. I just…didn't feel like I needed to walk out to make my point," Hermione answered.

"Well I love Mum but I hope this idea of hers fails. Charlie's a grown man. He's quite capable of finding someone if that's what he wants," Ginny sighed.


	7. Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home

The rest of the family's time in Romania passed by with ease and comfort. Luckily Molly hadn't mentioned any more ideas or secret family meetings regarding Charlie's lack of a love life. Presently Harry was trying to get James and Albus to start packing.

"Boys come on! We leave in the morning and we don't want to hold everyone else up," Harry called out the tent flap.

"We can do it later," James replied, stretching in the camp chair.

"James Sirius Potter get your butt in here and pack, now," Harry growled. The tone of his father's voice was enough light a fire beneath James' rear and he went flying into the tent. Albus followed quietly behind his brother. He did not wish to get yelled at.

Ginny just shook her head from the other side of the room where she sat helping lily to repack her suitcase. She was glad that Lily still followed directions fairly well.

"Now you haven't forgotten anything have you?" Ginny asked her daughter.

"I don't think so," the six-year-old answered with a shake of her strawberry locks.

"And you've got your pendant?" Ginny prompted. Lily pointed to the small stand next to her bed where the pendant lay.

"Good girl. I think you're all ready. Why don't you go see if Rosie needs any help," she suggested and with a grin, Lily went bolting out of the tent. James watched his sister run off and donned a sour look. He didn't want to leave Romania and go back to England where it was no doubt snowing and cold.

"Mum, why can't I stay here with Uncle Charlie?" he asked once Harry was out of hearing range. Ginny sighed.

"Because this is really not a good place for children to stay for long periods of time. Dragons are dangerous," Ginny answered.

"But I bet Uncle Charlie would let me stay," James protested.

"James, you just can't stay here. He can't be responsible for you. You're not his son," she said sharply. James sighed in frustration but knew he shouldn't press the situation further. He didn't want both his parents to be cross with him the last day of vacation.

A few tents over Bill and Fleur were helping Angelina and George pack up all of the baby's clothes. That left Victoire alone in her tent. She looked up as Celeste walked out and Teddy walked in. Her face lit up immediately.

"Can you believe we have to go back to school in two days?" he asked, sitting next to her on the bed.

"I think it will be nice. I mean sure Romania is beautiful and the dragons are interesting but…I like school," she answered.

"More privacy," Teddy whispered in her eat, snaking an arm around her shoulders. Victoire giggled softy but did not resist.

"Don't be so loud. Someone will hear you," she whispered as he started to kiss her neck. Neither teen heard the footsteps outside of the tent or the flap brush against material.

"Honestly, don't you two have packing to do?" Hermione scolded. Both Teddy and Victoire blushed to have been caught…yet again by Hermione.

"You know…I am fairly certain your Grandmother is not ready for great grandchildren," she added firmly.

"Nothing like that was going to happen, Aunt Hermione…I swear," Victoire gasped, paling at her aunt's comment.

"How about you two make sure of that and get packing. Or if you're done go help some of the younger children pack," she suggested sternly. She walked out and Teddy stood as well.

"I will see you at dinner," he mumbled and headed out. He caught up with Hermione just as she was about to go into her tent.

"Aunt Hermione," he called. She turned around and stopped walking.

"You won't…tell Uncle Bill will you?" he asked, looking nervous.

"As long as you two are behaving yourselves there is no need," she answered matter-of-factly.

"I just don't want her to get in trouble because of me," Teddy murmured. Hermione gave him a smile and headed into her tent.

"Girls how is the packing?" she asked of Lily and Rose.

"Almost done," Rose answered.

"Mum…I can't find it! I just had and I can't find it!" Hugo cried out, sounding frantic.

"What can't you find?" his mother asked.

"The pendant. I know I just had it," he answered, his voice rising in pitch.

"Calm down. We'll find it," she said, placing a calming hand on his shoulder and bending down to help him look.

Twenty minutes later and after several bouts of hyperventilation, they located Hugo's missing pendant. The pair now sat in a mountain of clothes that needed to be repacked. Together they managed to fit it all back into the suitcase; Hermione fold and Hugo putting the garments back in.

"You girls have yours?" Hermione asked, looking at her daughter and niece. Both girls nodded.

Dinner time finally rolled around the family assembled in the dining barracks. They took up the entire long table. Ginny found herself sitting next to Charlie and she had to do her best to keep her mother's plot under wraps. She knew Molly would lose it if Charlie found out what the rest of the family was up to.

"Are you looking forward to getting back?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. I mean I'm glad you let us come and visit. It really was a great trip but I am looking forward to being home with just my children," she admitted.

"Yeah. Being out here for long periods of time does get a bit on the boring side. Of course you lot weren't doing anything with the dragons. I'm just glad I got see you all for a while," Charlie sighed as he took a swig of water.

"The children had a lovely time. James wanted to stay here," Ginny said with only mild annoyance in her voice.

"I bet he did. But maybe when he's older he can come for the summer…help out," her brother suggested.

"He'd like that a lot," Ginny agreed. Down the table, George and Percy were deep in conversation.

"Can you believe Mum is actually serious about this match thing?" George hissed.

"Just be glad you're not the one she's aiming it at," Percy remarked under his breath.

"Poor bloke doesn't know what's coming," George sniggered.

"I do hope he doesn't take it the wrong way," Percy agreed.

"Would you two shut it before he hears you?" Angelina snapped at them. Both brothers shrunk back a bit at her tone.

"He can't hear us," George muttered. From down the table a few seats Ron leaned over to talk to George.

"Oi! George…maybe if Mum's idea works we can market it as a new product for the shop," Ron laughed.

"Brilliant Ronnie!" George laughed. They received a strange look from some of the children sitting nearby.

"You two are impossible," Hermione grumbled from next to her husband.

The meal concluded and everyone headed back to the tents to get some sleep. They would be leaving early the next morning so the older kids could catch the Hogwarts Express back to school. That night Teddy lay awake for a while just thinking about how he must be extremely lucky to have such a large family to care for him. As he drifted off to sleep the photograph of his parents danced in his brain.

The following morning, he felt an arm shaking him. He slowly opened his eyes to see his Godfather standing over him. He ran a hand over his face and sat up.

"Come on Teddy. Time to get going. We leave in a half hour," Harry informed the boy. Teddy yawned and dragged himself out of bed. He looked at the three Potter children. They all looked about as thrilled as he was to be up so early.

"Why can't we go back to bed?" Albus whined as he pulled the pendant over his head.

"You can sleep when we get home. The older children have to get the train back to school," Ginny answered.

Family units began appearing in the center of camp. Charlie was there, come to say goodbye to everyone no doubt. When Harry and family appeared outside, they were met with Bill and Fleur and George and Angelina. Another twenty minutes later produced Percy and Penelope and Molly and Arthur.

"What's keeping Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked. Not two minutes later, Hermione and Ron appeared, a sleeping child in each arm.

"Sorry. We couldn't wake them up," Hermione said, huffing.

"It's ok," Charlie said with a smile.

"Thank you again for inviting us dear,' Molly said, hugging her son tightly.

"Always a pleasure Mum. Have a safe portkey back. And you three, have a good second term at school," he said, looking at Teddy, Victoire and Celeste.

With one final goodbye the large mass disappeared and Charlie started walking towards the dining barracks to join his co-workers. The Weasley-Potter clan reappeared just outside the Burrow.

"Have a good term at school," Molly said, kissing her two oldest granddaughters.

"You too dear," she added, giving Teddy a hug.

With that families began to apparate home. George and Angelina donned brooms along with Percy and Penelope.

"Be careful!" Molly cried as they took off.

"They know what they're doing," Arthur whispered in her ear.

Ron and Hermione departed shortly after Bill and Fleur. Harry and Ginny were the last to leave.

"Mum…please don't go overboard with this matchmaking stuff," were Ginny's parting words before they disappeared too.


	8. The Raffle Jar

The Raffle Jar

The New Year began uneventfully for the Weasleys. The young kids spent their time playing with friends and trying to sneak tries with older siblings' or cousins' wands. The adults had all returned to work, including Ron and George. They were currently sitting in the stock room on crates of pigmy puffs.

"You know…we need chairs…I feel bad for the little puffballs," Ron sighed, staring at a clipboard as the small creatures rustled beneath them.

"But we're interacting with the merchandise. It's like a really good marketing gimmick," George said with a laugh.

"So have you heard from Mum lately about the whole…Charlie plot?" the older of the two asked. Ron couldn't help but smile a little.

"Hermione says we got an owl from Mum yesterday but she claims she tossed the letter in the rubbish. I went through the bin and didn't find anything," Ron answered.

"Oh no, she's joined Ginny hasn't she," George chortled.

"She probably put it somewhere that I didn't look. I'd imagine Mum just wants us to find eligible women," Ron muttered.

"Maybe…we could figure out a way to use the shop to promote our dear old brother," George suggested, his tone completely serious.

"You have something in mind?" Ron asked, looking shocked at the quick change in his brother's demeanor.

"I just might. It may affect sales a bit but it's for a worthy cause," George began. He stood and started pacing around the crates of animals and other assorted items they had began to sell over the years. George wore a satisfied smile as the gears turned in his head as he planned the sales pitch out.

"Well what is your idea?" Ron asked, noting the time. They'd need to open the store in about twenty minutes. George gave no response. Ron noticed it deaf side was currently facing him. Of course his brother's other ear was perfectly fine. It was a habit he'd picked up since the second war.

"Oi! George!" Ron shouted. That caught his sibling's attention.

"What?" he asked.

"The idea? What is it?" Ron prompted.

"Oh right. Well…we could have a raffle," George said simply. Ron stared in confusion.

"You want to auction our brother off like a side of beef?" Ron asked incredulously.

"No you twit. We figure…we pick a nice price and promote it. You spend this amount or over and say…you get your name put in a raffle to go on a date with Charlie," George elaborated.

"So we are raffling him off like a side of Romanian beef," Ron scoffed.

"Would you stop acting like a prick and just run with it. We will make some extra money and be helping a good cause…or least make sure Mum stays off our backs about doing our part in all of this," George snapped.

"Fine. I see your point. What price are we going to set it at? And how long is little raffle going to last?" Ron badgered his brother.

"I suppose we can start it tomorrow or later this week. Doesn't Hogwarts have a trip into Hogsmeade coming up soon?" he answered.

"Blimey you're not going to get kids to raffle on him. Not only would Mum kill you…but Charlie would as well," Ron snickered.

"So we set an age requirement," George countered.

"I suppose we ought to run it by Mum first then?" Ron asked and George nodded.

"I'll get her on the Floo later then," Ron sighed. With that decision made they headed out into the store to open up shop and prepare for a new day.

Sometime later in London, Ginny and Hermione had gotten together for a late lunch. They'd left James in charge of the children which had been a huge risk on both of their parts.

"Oh I swear if those two beat each other to a pulp I'm going to hex them into next month," Ginny groaned.

"They'll be fine. They've got the younger ones to entertain," Hermione tried to reassure her sister-in-law. The two women fell silent for a few minutes while they contemplated their glasses of water.

"We got a letter from Mum yesterday. About…Charlie," Hermione finally said.

"We got one too. I saw it first and almost tossed it but Harry wouldn't let me," Ginny grumbled.

"It's hard being the opposition," Hermione said with a laugh.

"I've got half a mind to tell Charlie what's going on," Ginny spat.

"Oh he's bound to figure it out sooner or later. He's a smart man," Hermione stated.

"He deserves to know his family is ganging up on him," Ginny sighed.

"I agree with you. I really do but I don't' know if it's our place. Do we really want to be on Mum's black list?" Hermione reasoned.

"The woman is losing her marbles. She just wants grandchildren out of it," Ginny said darkly. Hermione couldn't help but smile. It was true that Molly wanted an arsenal of grandchildren at her disposal.

"You know I found it amusing what her letter said. She said we had to verify any match making attempts with her. What is some sort of military operation?" Hermione giggled.

"Like I said…she's going mental," Ginny stated as their food came.

"I swear if Ron and George try something I may have to smack them both," she added after a moment.

"You think they would?" Hermione asked with a raised brow.

"Of course they would. They've got the entire bloody joke shop at their disposal," Ginny said.

"Well if they do I just hope it's not something embarrassing," Hermione said.

The pair finished their lunch in peace and headed over to Ginny and Harry's. Miraculously there were five children all in one piece and there was no broken furniture or large mess. James was beaming broadly when his mother walked in. He wasn't going to divulge how he managed to keep his siblings and cousins in line. No to his mother at least.

"Thank you for not killing each other," Ginny said, giving her children an approving look.

'We're not two year olds, Mum," James said.

"Couldn't prove that by me half the time," Ginny snorted.

"Come Rosie…Hugo. We need to get home. We have some shopping to do," Hermione said, ushering her two children towards the door.

"Shopping? For what?" Hugo complained.

"Just come on," Hermione said.

Back in Hogsmeade, Ron was sitting in the store room again, this time alone. He had lit the fire in the small fireplace and was holding a handful of Floo powder in his hand. He was contemplating whether he really wanted to Floo hi mother with George's idea. It seemed ridiculous that they had to 'register' any attempts with her. But then again, Molly wanted control over the situation. She wanted to ensure that she liked the potential women.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered to himself as he tossed the powder in.

"The Burrow," he called out and stuck his head in.

"Mum?" he called out, looking out of the kitchen fire place in the Burrow.

"Ronald is that you dear?" Molly called, coming in to view.

"Oh how are you?" she asked as if she hadn't seen him months.

"Fine…I guess. Look George came up with an idea. We'll hold a raffle in the store. Customers spend over a certain amount and they get their name put in a raffle to go on a date with Charlie," Ron explained.

"Oh I love it. Now do you have more specifics?" she pressed.

"Uh…no. He came up with it sitting on a crate of pygmy puffs this morning," the youngest Weasley son answered, looking a little nervous.

"Did you say sitting on pygmy puffs?" Moly asked and Ron nodded as best he could in the fireplace.

"How…strange," his mother muttered mostly to herself.

"Well do get that idea underway as soon as possible. We can't dawdle with this process. I want him to have someone to come to Christmas with this year," she said and walked away.

"Right," Ron said and disappeared. When he reappeared back in the store room he found George leaning on the doorframe.

"How'd it go?" he asked as Ron wiped stray soot from his shirt.

"Fine I suppose. She seemed happy about it. You know…we may have to put some concealment charmed on this raffle idea. We don't want Victoire or Teddy letting it slip," he said with a shrug.

"Brilliant. Clearly no one under the age of seventeen can enter," George began to spout.

"Seventeen? George that's bloody illegal! I'd say no one under thirty!" Ron exclaimed, looking appalled at his brother's statement.

"We can iron out the details later," George said, seeming to brush his sibling's worries off. Ron just rolled his eyes at his sibling. If this had any chance of working they were going to need Hermione's help. She would be able to talk some reason into George. Of course that was only if Ron could manage to convince his wife to help them in their attempt at finding Charlie some happiness and giving Molly more grandchildren.


	9. Ready Set Go

Ready Set Go 

That night Ron came home to find Rose and Hugo helping Hermione with dinner. He hung his cloak in the closet and set the miscellaneous products in the hallway before he entered the kitchen.

"Evening," he greeted, ruffling Hugo's hair and giving Rose a quick kiss on the top of her head.

"Hello," Hermione said, turning around to catch her husband in a quick kiss.

"Looks amazing 'Mione," Ron said, eying the roast chicken and potatoes.

"You and your stomach," she sighed, letting out a little laugh.

"I'm going to wash up," he told her and headed for the bathroom. When he came back a few minutes later Hugo and Rose were seated at the table, awaiting their plates. Ron grabbed the one from Hermione's outstretched hand and set it in front of his daughter. Shortly they were all seated around the table.

"How was your day?" Hermione asked.

"Fine I suppose. We're getting ready for a big Hogsmeade weekend with the school so I'm sure we'll have some good business next week. Got a new shipment of pygmy puffs in," he answered, trying his best to avoid telling her George's idea.

"Why can't I have one?" Rose interjected.

"Maybe for your birthday," Hermione said.

"How was lunch with Ginny?" he questioned.

"Fine. Nice and quiet. James watched the children," she replied, making Hugo and Rose giggle.

"Blimey, she let him watch them? And they didn't kill each other. That's a bloody miracle," Ron exclaimed.

"Yes well I suppose we have to start trusting them to behave at some point," Hermione retorted. The dinner table fell silent as everyone finished their meals. Rose and Hugo were excused and both went running up the stairs to their rooms.

"Want some help?" Ron asked, grabbing a dish rag to start drying.

"So…George came up with an idea today," he began after a few minutes.

"What kind of idea?' she asked; scrubbing the large pot the chicken had been in. She still preferred to the dishes the muggle way.

"Well…a raffle," Ron muttered. While he couldn't see his wife's face, he could feel her anger building.

"For what?" she continued, sounding calm.

"A date with Charlie," Ron muttered into the dish rag as he dried the carving knife.

"What did you just say?" Hermione exploded. Ron jumped and nearly cut himself with the utensil. He quickly put it back in the drawer before answering her.

"It was his idea, not mine. I swear it," he tried to defend himself.

"You're raffling your brother off? That is the most…I can't even think of a word worthy enough to describe that," she spat.

"I told him he was nuts," Ron protested.

"But he can be…persuasive. And it's just one date. It's an effort so Mum doesn't think we're not doing our part," he added.

"You want my help, don't you," she accused.

"Just a little. Just helping to set guidelines is all. And maybe a concealment charm or two," he answered meekly.

"Absolutely not. I will not have a hand in this. Ginny was right. You lot have no business meddling in Charlie's private life," she snarled and thrust the chicken post at him with such force he actually stumbled backwards a few steps.

"Look…I don't want Mum to lose it on me alright. I figure we set this raffle thing up. We don't even have to actually pick someone. We can say people didn't go for it and that we tried and failed," Ron suggested, hoping he'd appeal to his wife.

She didn't answer for a while. She just refocused her attention on the dishes. Ron tried his best to keep up with her until the kitchen had been cleaned up. She finally sat down in one of the chairs at the table.

"I really don't like this Ron," she finally said.

"I know you don't. But please. We just need a little help," he begged.

"You say nothing to Mum. Or George," she said sternly.

"Of course," Ron said quickly. He was just glad his wife wasn't taking his head off.

"What do you need concealment charms for?" she asked.

"So…Teddy and Victoire don't find out," Ron muttered. She rolled her eyes.

"This is ridiculous. I don't see why the children would be a worry. But fine. A simple concealment charm shouldn't be difficult," she muttered.

"Thank you love. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

They sat together, coming up with guidelines and possible price quantities for the better part of the evening. Around nine, Hermione went up to put the children to bed and Ron folded up the list they'd come up with so he could discuss it with George in the morning.

"I'm going to turn in early. I'm a bit tired," Hermione announced when she came back downstairs.

"Alright. Night," he said, kissing her gently on the lips.

Over at George and Angelina's, Angie was just putting baby Fred back in his crib. George snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"You coming to bed?" he whispered so as not to frighten her.

"Yes. I'll be there in a minute," she answered, giving his hand a squeeze.

George let go and headed back to their bedroom next door. He'd filled Angie in on the plan that evening and she seemed all for it. He hoped Ron had some ideas the following day to jump start it.

The following morning George was up at the crack of dawn, his son in his arms. He sat at the kitchen, feeding Fred a bottle. He watched the infant suck the contents down and couldn't help but smile. He still couldn't believe he'd help to create this small life.

"Honey, aren't you going to be late?" Angelina asked, wandering into the kitchen. She looked tired. She'd no doubt been up at all hours of the morning with Fred. George eyed the clock and realized it was later than he'd thought. He transferred the child over to Angie and brushed off his robes.

"See you tonight," he said, kissing his wife on the cheek. With that he took the Floo into Hogsmeade. He was surprised to fine Ron waiting for him.

"You're early," George remarked, the surpise clear on his face.

"Well I wanted to show this to you," Ron answered, handing over the list that he and Hermione had devised the day before. George took the paper and looked it over. He cracked a smile a few times before handing it back.

"It's brilliant," George exclaimed. Ron smiled as well and the brothers set about organizing everything they would need. By the time the store opened an hour later they had the jar set up with a picture of Charlie on the front. They'd rehearsed their sales pitch and were anxious to try it on someone. They were both seated behind the counter when a young woman walked in. She had shoulder length chestnut colored hair and intense blue-green eyes.

"Morning. Can we help you with anything?" Ron asked, standing to his full height.

"Oh I'm just looking," she said and turned her attention to the shelves. The pair of brothers watched as she picked up items and then placed them back on the shelves. She was examining a pygmy puff when she noticed the raffle jar. George picked up on it immediately.

"Interested?" he asked. She blushed.

"I'm never very lucky with these sort of things," she admitted.

"Why not give it a try anyhow. Just spend sixty galleons or more on any of the items on this list and you are automatically entered into the drawing," he recited the pitch.

"He's a handsome fellow," he added. The woman gave a small laugh.

"He has a certain allure about him," she agreed and looked around the store once more.

"Alright. You've got me," she said after a minute and looked at the list.

"I'll take a package of Extendable Ears and a pygmy puff," she said, checking the math. Ron set about getting the items she'd requested. George handed her a slip of parchment and she wrote her name and address on it. Once the transaction had been completed she dropped the folded piece of parchment into the jar.

"It was nice doing business with you gentlemen. Good luck with your raffle," she said as she pushed the door open. They watched as it swung shut behind her.

"Well that wasn't too bad. I'm sure we can entice more people into entering," George said as Ron returned to his seat.

"Let's just hope its only women who try and enter," Ron laughed. George eyed him quizzically for a moment before his sibling's comment sunk in.

"Very fine point my dear brother," he said, snickering a bit.

"And Hermione says I never have brilliant ideas," Ron grumbled.

Business the rest of the day was fairly steady. They had several smaller joke shops and amateur magicians that bought supplies from them. As they finished locking up, George counted the number of entries.

"Not bad on the first day," he announced.

"How many?" Ron called.

"Six."


	10. Surprise, Surprise

Surprise, Surprise

The week passed and Ron and George got a few more entries to the raffle. IT was Saturday rolled around bright and early. It was brisk and snow had just fallen the night before. George was out shoveling a path in front of the shop when one of the other nearby shop owner came out.

"Morning, George," he called. George waved back as he pushed the last bit of show out of the pathway. George headed back inside and shivered as the door shut.

"Blimey its freezing out there," he complained as Ron cast some heating charms on the inside of the shop.

"It won't stop the kids from coming down though," Ron reminded his brother.

"This is going to be a good day for us," George said with a laugh. They did tend to do better on days when Hogwarts students paid the shop a visit. Ron moved to flip the sign on the door from 'closed' to 'open'.

"You suppose any of them will be trying out some of the new stuff?" Ron wondered.

"Course they will you dolt. You know the regulars will be first in line to test them out," George scoffed.

Some forty minutes later the first wave of students came bursting through the door, all appearing to take comfort in the heating charms. In the group were Victoire and Teddy. Teddy wandered off with a few sixth year Gryffindor boys, leaving Victoire to browse the front of the store alone.

"Morning Victoire," Ron greeted his niece.

"Hi Uncle Ron. How's business been?" she answered.

"It's been alright. How is your second term fairing? Doing well with classes?" Ron questioned.

"We've barely gotten into the term but I'm afraid I'm a bit on the nervous side. We have OWL examinations coming up soon," she admitted in a hushed tone.

"Oh don't worry too much about it," Ron said with a smile.

"Oi! Victoire look what I found!" Teddy called, running up to her with a box of Firecracker fireballs.

"Oh no! Didn't your Grams tell you to stay away from hot things like that?" Victoire exclaimed.

"I didn't say I was going to buy it. I was just saying that I found it," he replied.

"It's one of the new products. Makes you're mouth erupt in all sorts of flashy colors. Brilliant," Ron informed the two. Victoire merely shook her head and went looking at some of the items on a nearby shelf.

"So how have you been?" Ron addressed the boy in front of him.

"It's alright. Grams was happy to have me back," Teddy answered. Just then a group of boys came out from the back of the store, their arms full of merchandise.

"Oi, George. You going to ring them up?" Ron called. Apparently George had not heard him, or was feigning deafness because he got no response. Ron just shook his head.

He began to ring up the purchases, coins passing over the counter at rapid speed. Once the last customer had taken his or her bags, Ron slumped back in his chair, George finally reappearing.

"Where the bloody hell did you go?" Ron demanded.

"I had to get some extra boxes out of the back. They cleaned us out," George answered.

"Next time, you run the register," the younger of the two grumbled. They had a slight lull before the next wave of students came pouring in. Business continued in this manner until closing. Ron had never been happier to close than he was today.

"We need to make a deposit to Gringotts in the morning," George commented as he swept the floor. Ron merely nodded before apparating home.

Miles away in France, Bill was pacing back and forth outside the bathroom. Fleur had been ill the past few days and he was starting to worry. He'd insisted she see a doctor bt she refused. She claimed it was just readjusting to the weather after being in Romania. But he knew it wasn't related to the weather. He had a sneaking suspicion it was a much more serious situation. The door finally opened and Fleur flung her arms around her husband's neck and kissed him.

"Everything alright?" he asked, looking into her captivating eyes.

"Oh Bill. Eet ees vonderful," she exclaimed.

"Darling…what's wonderful?" he asked. He needed his suspicions confirmed or denied and he needed to hear it from her lips.

"We are 'aving a baby," she answered, glowing vibrantly.

"Bloody hell," he groaned. He'd been right. With all the new additions to the family in the last few months he'd wondered if they would be next.

"Aren't you 'appy, Bill?" she asked, taking a step back to look at her husband. He gave her a warm smile.

"Of course I'm happy, love. It's just…well it's been a while since we've had a baby in the house," he muttered.

"Don't be silly. We vill be fine," she said laughing. Fleur headed for the kitchen and Bill followed her.

"What are you doing?" he asked when he found her reaching for a quill and parchment.

"Writing a letter to zee girls," Fleur answered without looking up. He nodded and sighed.

"I suppose I ought to Floo Mum and Dad then," he muttered, heading for the sitting room. While Fleur continued to pen her letter to Victoire and Celeste, Bill bent down in front of the fireplace. He caught Arthur and Molly sitting down to dinner.

"Oh Bill dear you scared us," Molly said, clutching at her chest.

"Apologies Mum. Just thought I'd let you know…Fleur just found out we're expecting," Bill said through the flames. Molly dropped her knife, sending it clattering to the floor.

"Oh how wonderful. All these new babies!" she squealed.

"Congratulations, son," Arthur said, beaming.

"Thanks," he said and disappeared. When he returned to the kitchen, Fleur was folding the parchment and addressing it.

"I'm sure the girls will be thrilled. Mum was ecstatic," Bill murmured, kissing the top of her head. Fleur couldn't stop smiling even as they fell asleep in each other's arms that night.

The following morning found Teddy and Victoire sitting in the Gryffindor Common Room, pouring over books. Teddy had offered to help Victoire study for her OWLs. He knew the pressure it put on all the fifth year students. They looked up and caught each other's eye. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I think we've studied enough for now," she said, giggling a little.

"We've been at it for twenty minutes. I think you should study a bit more. After all, you don't want to cram at the last minute," he teased. Before she could say anything else the portrait hole swung open and Celeste came bursting through. She was clutching a piece of parchment.

"What is it, Celeste?" Victoire asked of her younger sister.

"It's a letter from Mum," the twelve-year-old exclaimed happily. Victoire took the letter from her sibling and began to read it.

Dear girls,

I hope you are enjoying your term at school. It is quite cold here in France. Much different than Romania. I trust you are behaving and not giving Uncle Ron and George too much of a hard time at the shop.

I write today to tell you that your father and I are expecting a baby come October. We are both very happy at the news. I wished you were with us to find out so I write to tell you as soon as we knew. We shall keep you informed on the baby.

Lots of love,

Mum

"Oh this is wonderful!" Victoire cried, throwing her arms around her sisters. The letter fell to the chair she had just vacated and Teddy picked it up. He scanned it and smiled.

"Congrats you two. Do you suppose it will be a boy or a girl?" he said.

"We can't know for a while…but I hope a boy. I want a brother," Victoire answered.

"Dad would be happy with a boy," Celeste agreed.

"He'd be just as happy with a girl too," her sister remarked.

"I sure hope Harry and Ginny aren't having any more kids. They can barely keep James and Alby from throttling each other," Teddy chuckled.

"I want lots of babies when I get married," Celeste sighed.

"No you don't. You told me just last week you don't want to so many because it is too much work," Victoire snorted.

"Well maybe I changed my mind," Celeste said with a pout.

"We shouldn't be thinking about children of our own just yet," Teddy said sternly. His comment made them all burst out laughing.

"Oh it is just so exciting. All the new babies in the family. Oh Grandma will be so happy. You know, Mum is always saying that Grandma wants lots of grandkids," Victoire commented. Teddy nodded and suddenly burst out laughing.

"What are you laughing about?' she demanded.

"Nothing…just had a funny thought that's all," he said, trying to stop the laughter.

"Well what is it. Come on…tell us," Celeste begged.

"I was just thinking…there are enough grandkids right now to make a full Quidditch team," he explained.


	11. Messenger Owl

Messenger Owl

Another week had passed and Ron and George's raffle had gained some popularity. A few customers returned to make second or third entries. Presently, Ron and George were closing up.

"I think we should announce the winner tomorrow," Ron said, breaking the silence.

"We've barely even begun," George countered.

"You don't have Hermione breathing down your neck to get this over with," the younger of the two grumbled. George chuckled a little at his brother's statement.

"Fine. We can announce tomorrow. But we've got to get Charlie here. Don't want to send any of our lovely ladies into harm's way," George stated.

"I'm sure you can come up with something," Ron muttered.

"Me? Why me?" George asked.

"Because all of this was your bloody idea," Ron answered.

George just shook his head as he donned his traveling cloak. With a soft pop he disappeared, leaving Ron standing alone in the dim shop.

"Brothers," he muttered as he too disapparated from view. Upon arriving home, he was immediately bombarded by his two children.

"Dad, did you hear?" Rose asked before Ron could even get his cloak off.

"Hear what Rosie?" he asked.

"About Uncle Bill," Hugo interjected.

"Oi! You two let your father sit down before you pester him," Hermione called. Ron ushered his children out of the foyer and towards the sound of his wife's voice.

"Now what's all this excitement about Bill?" Ron questioned his wife.

"We got this letter today by owl," she answered, holding out an open envelope. He took it, extracting its contents. Once he'd read the letter, he couldn't help but laugh a few times. His behavior earned him odd looks from Hugo and Rose.

"Bet that was a bit of a shock," he finally managed to get out.

"I'm sure it was but they both seem happy," Hermione commented.

"What about the girls?" he asked. There would be a fifteen and twelve year gap respectively between Victoire, Celeste and the new baby.

"From what the letter said, they seemed ecstatic," she replied.

"Do you suppose Mum knows?" he questioned.

"Honestly, Ronald. Of course she knows. She would never forgive any of us if she and Dad weren't the first to know," his wife shot.

"Well…we decided to announce the winner tomorrow," he murmured, changing the subject.

"Winner of what Dad?" Hugo interjected.

"Just something Uncle George and I are doing at the shop," Ron answered as vaguely as he could.

"Why don't you two go wash up for dinner," Hermione suggested. Rose nodded and took Hugo by the sleeve, dragging him with her.

"They just don't want us listening to their grown up talk," Hugo hissed in his sisters' ear.

"That's why it's grown up talk dummy. Kids aren't supposed to listen," Rose snapped at him. Once the children were out of earshot, Hermione rounded on her husband.

"You said you weren't going to even pick a winner for this ludicrous thing," she shouted.

"Calm down," Ron hissed at her.

"And no. I said that was an option…a possibility. Look, someone is going to have to do something soon or else Mum is going to go nuts," he continued. Hermione shook her head in disbelief.

"Does she honestly think that Charlie won't figure out what's going on the minute he meets whoever you two set him up with?" she growled.

"'Mione, I know you don't like this whole idea but can't you just let us try?" he begged.

"We are trying to help Charlie out," he added. He wasn't even going to try to comment on his mother's thought process or mental health. It was useless.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. She knew when it was better to keep her mouth shut around this family. She and Ron had exchanged enough heated words in their youth to know better. Ron knew the conversation was over.

They shared a quiet meal and Hermione retired to bed early that night. Ron couldn't tell if it was because of their argument or because she had an early day coming up. The following morning, Ron hadn't even had the chance to sit down with his copy of the Prophet when George's head popped into the fireplace.

"Bloody hell!" Ron sputtered.

"What's got you all jumpy?" George asked.

"Can whatever it is you have to say wait until I get in?" Ron grumbled, turning the page of the paper.

"Well I just thought you might want to know that I have a brilliant way to get Charlie here," George explained. Just then Hermione walked in.

"Morning," George greeted. He would have waved if his arm had been in view. She ignored him.

"Why is your brother in the fireplace at half past seven in the morning?" she addressed her husband.

"Because he's mental," Ron replied.

"I may only have on ear but I heard that," George called. Ron rolled his eyes behind the paper before looking at his brother.

"Can we talk about it later?" he hissed.

"Fine. But I guarantee you're going to love it," George answered with a smirk. With that he disappeared from the fireplace.

Ron expected Hermione to begin yelling at him for what he and George had been discussing but she said nothing. He certainly wasn't going to push the issue.

"I'm off," Hermione stated, kissing Ron on the cheek.

"Have a good day," he called after her.

He finished reading the paper and headed out himself. When he arrived, he saw that George had hung an enormous sign outside the shop that read 'Raffle Winner Announced Today! Check owl post'. Ron shook his head at the gaudiness of the sign.

"You really have gone mental," Ron bellowed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," George denied.

"The giant sign outside is a pretty good indication," Ron pointed out irritably.

"Don't get your wand all in a knot, Ronnie. Only people who could enter can see the sign," George countered.

"But did you have to make it that bloody big?" Ron complained.

"It will be up for a day," George shot. Ron let it go.

"So this brilliant idea that you guarantee I'm going to love in getting Charlie here. Let's hear it," Ron said, pulling off his cloak and hanging it behind the counter.

"We write him a letter saying we're going to a Hollyhead Harpies match. Gin got us the tickets. We can go to the match…and then afterwards we all sneak off and leave him with the lucky winner," George explained.

"You realize Ginny will murder you for dragging her into this," Ron stated dryly.

"She said she didn't care what we did with the tickets. To just go enjoy ourselves," George assured him.

"Fine. Let's get this thing over with," Ron sighed.

"You've been spending too much time with Hermione. She's ruined your sense of duty to your brother," George commented. They talked no more as they got the shop ready to open. Around noon a crowd had gathered outside to hear the winner announcement. George was giddy with excitement.

"Let them in," he told Ron. Ron pulled open the door and let the crow surge into the front of the shop. It was mostly women that had come to hear the outcome.

"Ready?" George asked as he closed his eyes and stuck his hand into the jar. Ron watched intently as his brother's hand ran over the pieces of parchment and pulled one out.

"And the winner is…" he called, unfolding the piece of parchment.

"Lana Fenty," he called. There was a murmur from the gathered group of women and finally a woman with bleach blond hair pushed through the crowd.

"That's me," she said, waving her hand two inches from George's face.

"Right then. We'll be contacting you with more details in a few days. That's all ladies. Thank you for entering," he called. Lana bustled proudly out of the shop, the rest of the crowd following her. Ron couldn't help but snort as the door closed.

"She's a bright one, isn't she," he snickered.

"I'm sure she was just excited," George answered.

"Best of luck writing that letter to Charlie," Ron muttered.

"It's already sent," George told him.

In Romania, Charlie had just come in from studying some newborn Norwegian Ridgebacks when an owl dive bombed his head. He managed to catch the letter before it flew off. He opened the letter and began to read as he headed for lunch in the dining barracks.

_Charlie,_

_Ginny got us a bunch of tickets to go see the Hollyhead Harpies play this coming Sunday. Bunch of us are going…making it a brother bonding outing. Thought you'd like to come. Get away from the heat for a bit. We're meeting at my place at three sharp. Better be there._

_Best,_

_George._

Charlie shook his head. He hadn't really been into Quidditch all that much during his years at Hogwarts. But he had to admit he'd had more appreciation for it when Ginny started playing on a professional team.

"You alright, Charlie?" one of his co-workers asked.

"Yeah…I'll be going back to London this weekend. My brother's demanded my presence at a Quidditch match," Charlie answered with a bemused look.


	12. Quidditch Catastrophe

Quidditch Catastrophe

Sunday arrived all too quickly for Charlie. He didn't entirely want to go back to London for the match. For one thing, they never had 'brotherly bonding'. It just didn't happen, especially since they'd all grown up and moved away.

"Have fun at the match today," Aaron called, catching up with the redhead on his way to breakfast.

"I'll do my best. I don't know about this brotherly bonding nonsense," Charlie chuckled as they sat down.

"Besides they just saw me. That means we've got to wait until at least Thanksgiving to see each other again," he added, sending Aaron bursting into gales of laughter.

The two men enjoyed their breakfast together and went their separate ways. Charlie was determined to spend at least some time with the dragons before he left. Back in London, George, Ron, Bill and Percy were all gathered around the kitchen table in George's flat.

"You are sure this going to work?" Bill asked skeptically.

"The letter I sent to…" he began, looking to Ron to fill him in with the winner's name.

"Lana," Ron answered.

"Right…the letter I sent to her is very clear in what she's supposed to do," George explained.

"We do actually get to see the whole match right?" Ron asked. Even though Ginny no longer played for the team, he had developed an affinity for the Harpies.

"As much as we can," George answered.

"You do realize he's going to figure us out. He's not stupid," Percy interjected.

"Well Mum would be nuts to think he wouldn't. At least our idea was creative. What have you lot come up with…nothing," George retorted. Bill eyed the clock on the wall. It was only one fifteen but he could sense that George wished it was later.

"I'm going to go home for a little bit. Need to go with Fleur to the doctor's. I'll be back before you leave," he stated. His brothers gave him a collective nod and he disapparated on the spot. Percy and George's eyes landed on Ron.

"You aren't planning on having more are you?" George asked.

"Are you daft? Hermione would kill me," Ron answered.

"Good. We don't need anymore diapers in the family right now," Percy sighed.

"Let's go get a bite to eat. I'm starving," Ron said. George laughed and Percy rolled his eyes but the three brothers headed out to a nearby pub for a quick lunch.

By the time they returned it was almost quarter of three. Bill had beaten them back by only a few minutes. They sat around, staring at the wall or the ceiling, just waiting for Charlie to show up.

"What if he decides he doesn't want to come?" Percy asked.

"He'll come," George answered as if there was no question about it.

Ten minutes later there was a pop and Charlie appeared. He was dressed in cargo pants and black t-shirt. He surveyed his siblings. They all looked a little surprised to see him.

"Well hello to you too," he muttered.

"Told you he'd show up," George hissed in Percy's ear.

"Well…are we going or not?" Charlie asked. His brothers stood up and they all apparated to the Quidditch pitch. Before they were swept in the throng of spectators, George distributed the tickets.

"See you inside if we get separated," he said and they got caught up in the sea of people making their way into the stands. Bill and Charlie ended up managing to stick together.

"So why didn't Gin want to come/" Charlie asked over the noise as they caught up with Ron, George and Percy.

"I think she had something to do today," Bill answered. In truth, George hadn't really shared how he'd managed to get their sisters to hand over the tickets. Charlie could tell it was a lie but he let it go. He might as well just enjoy the match and time with his brothers.

Halfway through the match the Harpies were up by fifty points and George was growing agitated. It was nearing the time he'd told Lana to show up and meet Charlie. He knew that all they were all, himself included, enjoying the match. Charlie noticed his brother's odd behavior out of the corner of his and leaned over the armrest. Luckily he had George's good side to him.

"What's the matter with you? The Harpies are winning," Charlie hissed.

"I...I know," George murmured. How the bloody hell was he going to get his brother out of the stadium and to his date? Finally an idea struck him.

"I'm not feeling to well," George lied. He feigned lightheadedness.

"Blimey, _you're_ not expecting are you?" Ron asked, catching on quickly.

"No you moron," George spat back.

"Come on, up you go," Charlie ordered his younger brother. Ron stood as well to support George's other side. George gave Bill and Percy a wink as they passed them. The trio made its way as quickly as possible towards the men's bathroom.

"I think I make it the rest of the way," George gasped, pretending to steady himself against the wall. Charlie nodded and Ron waited with him. He knew what George was up to. He needed to be there to identify Lana. They didn't have to wait long. The blond woman appeared, holding what looked to be a photograph. She waved wildly at Charlie when she spotted him.

"Is she waving at me?" Charlie asked his younger brother. Ron merely shrugged. Lana approached at a fast pace until she was only a few feet from them.

"You must be Charlie," she said, extending a hand. Charlie's gaze darted towards Ron.

"Err…yeah that's me," he answered, shaking her hand quickly.

"This is so nerve wracking isn't it," she gushed.

"Beg pardon?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Well where should we go?" she questioned, bouncing back forth on the balls of her feet.

"I'm sorry…my brother is ill and I…I can't really leave him," Charlie babbled.

"I'll stay with him," Ron voiced and disappeared into the bathroom. With that Lana grabbed Charlie by the arm and dragged him away from the bathrooms. They ended up at a small café a few blocks from the Quidditch arena.

"If you don't mind my asking…how do you know who I am?" Charlie asked as a waitress brought them glasses of water.

"Well…the raffle. I mean it really was a brilliant idea," she answered. He stared at her blankly.

"That joke shop in Hogsmeade," she expounded.

"Anyways…so what do you do?" Lana interrupted before he could form a response.

"I work with dragons in Romania," he answered flatly. She seemed to find it interesting.

"Wow, dragons. That must be frightening. Have you ever gotten attacked?" she asked.

"Few burn marks here or there but not really. You've just got to know how to treat them," he explained. He had a very distinct feeling that he was going to have two less brothers by the end of the night.

"Well I work at a Muggle fashion magazine. I do the layout. It's quite fascinating really with all the current technology," she rambled. The rest of the evening went much like this with Lana talking with so much as catching a breath.

"Excuse me miss. Can we get the check," Charlie called, flagging their waitress down.

"Well I wish this night wouldn't end. I've had such a good time," Lana said, watching the waitress hand Charlie the bill. He tossed several galleons onto the table and stood up.

"Not to sound rude or anything but…I have to get back to my brothers," he said as politely as he could.

"Oh…I'll go with you," she said happily and attached herself to his bicep. He did everything he could to keep his composure until they reached the outskirts of the arena. Charlie spotted his siblings standing around. They weren't hard to miss, lanky redheads. Bill was the first to spot Charlie and Lana.

"Oi, Charlie. Aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend?" he asked. Had Charlie had his arm free he would have decked his brother in the face.

"Oh I'm Lana and…" she began but Charlie cut her off.

"And I don't think we'll be seeing each other again. It's just too much…long distance doesn't usually work out," he said. Lana looked heartbroken as she let go of his arm.

"But...I thought you had a great time," she rasped.

"You wouldn't even let me get a word in edgewise," Charlie corrected her. With her lower lip quivering slightly, she turned and walked away. Once she was gone he turned on his brothers.

"I'm going to bloody kill the lot of you," he ground out.

"Hey…it wasn't my idea," Bill said, holding up his hands.

"Yeah…it was Ron and George," Percy added.

"Thanks for the moral support," George grumbled.

"Have you two completely lost it? Setting me up with some self-centered airhead," he bellowed.

"Look…if you want to get mad at someone, get mad at Mum. This was all her idea," Ron stated quickly.

"And we didn't really know her. We just…picked her name out of a bucket," George added.

"I can't believe you. Here I thought I'd get to spend some time with my brothers, enjoying a good game of Quidditch and I end up getting stuck with some twit who never shuts up," Charlie shouted. He'd had enough of this stupidity. He stormed away from his brothers and with a pop disappeared. The four brothers looked at each other.

"So who wants to tell Mum he knows?" Ron asked.

"Better yet…who wants to tell her our attempt failed?" George murmured.


	13. Strike One

Strike One

Ron and George let as much time pass before they told Molly the bad news. They'd both expected owls waiting for them after they got home from the game but thankfully there were no letters from their mother. Presently, the pair was standing in the back room, eying the fireplace anxiously.

"You do it," George said, shoving Ron towards the fireplace.

"No. You do it. It was your idea…besides you're older," Ron responded.

"Stop acting like a baby, Ron," the older of the two commented.

"A baby? I'm not acting like a baby. I'm just trying to save my own skin. I don't want Mum mad at me," Ron snapped.

"Just go on. I did it last time," he added. George took a deep breath, shooting a glare in Ron's direction as he grabbed some Floo Powder.

"The Burrow," he called, throwing the powder on the fire. The flames turned green and he knelt down, his head pressed into the flames. His face appeared in the kitchen fireplace back home. At first he saw nothing. He could hear no sounds coming from the nearby rooms; of course his hearing wasn't all that great to begin with. He was about to pull his head out and sever the connection when Arthur walked in.

"Oh George, I didn't know you'd be popping in," Arthur said.

"Uh…is Mum around?" George asked.

"She's out hanging laundry," Arthur answered, starting to turn around.

"No Dad…it's ok. I was uh…just wondering is all. Don't want to interrupt her," George hissed.

"Nonsense. Here she comes now," his father said, waving his hand dismissively. George cringed as the back door opened and Molly walked in.

"Arthur dear, who are you talking…oh George darling!" Molly half asked, half exclaimed.

"Hello Mum," George greeted. He wished he'd been able to get out of the fire faster.

"How was the match?" she asked, sitting down in a chair.

"Oh…fine. The Harpies won. Knew they would. Course it would have been better if Gin was still playing," he rambled. Molly nodded in agreement and understanding.

"And what about Charlie?" she questioned, her eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. George swallowed before he answered the question.

"Charlie was at the match," George answered. He knew that's not what she wanted to hear about.

"I'm sure he did. But…the date. How was the date?" Molly pressed.

"Well…" George began. He tried to brace himself for the eruption he knew was coming.

"It wasn't," he finally stated.

"What do you mean 'it wasn't'?" she demanded.

"Mum…Charlie knows what's going on. And the…raffle winner…was a bit of an airhead," George admitted.

"He what?" Molly boomed. He couldn't have caught on. She'd made sure no one had told him the plans.

"Who told him?" she demanded.

"No one told him anything, Mum. But when you end up on a blind date I think you know you've been set up by someone," George answered.

"Well pick another person then," she ordered, her voice shrill.

"We can't. We've done our part. We tried to help out. Let someone else have a go at it," George stated before disappearing. He reappeared in the back room, his face flushed.

'How mad is she?" Ron asked. He was almost afraid to know the answer.

"She's pretty mad. Can't believe that Charlie knows," George murmured, sinking down onto an empty crate.

"I hope she doesn't blame us," Ron breathed.

"Well…she told me to pick another name. I told her we can't…that we did everything we could," George explained.

"She's going to bloody excommunicate us from the family for this," Ron gulped.

"Don't be so dramatic. I'm sure she'll get over it…I hope," George stated, trying to sound reassuring.

Back at the Burrow, Molly was storming around the kitchen. Arthur stood in the doorway to keep out of her way. His gaze followed her every movement.

"Molly…dear…it's not that bad," Arthur piped up.

"Not that bad? Arthur, he knows! Now how are we supposed to make sure he finds the right woman?" Molly wailed.

"Well…I'm sure one of the others will come up with something," he tried to assure her. She just shook her head and stormed about some more. Her carefully laid plans had been ruined. Charlie wasn't supposed to find out.

"He would have found out eventually," Arthur added. It was if he'd read her mind.

"You're not helping," Molly snapped.

"Look at the bright side. Perhaps now it will be easier to coordinate. We won't have to sneak around," he offered, hoping she would buy it.

"You're right," she said, taking a deep breath.

"But we'll have to be cleverer in getting him here. Any sort of mail we send, he's going to be very wary of," she continued.

"Yes dear," Arthur said, trying to keep on his wife's good side. She turned to face him, a renewed smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile as well as he pulled her towards him.

Miles away, Charlie was walking out of his tent in Romania. He'd been in low spirits every since the Quidditch fiasco. He still couldn't believe that his brothers had set him up. He slunk into the dining barracks for a late breakfast. He found Aaron and Rachel in deep conversation. They'd both already heard the Lana horror story. Rachel spotted Charlie and directed him to join them.

"Would you cheer up already. So you had one lousy date with some fashionista. Stop moping around like you've caught some deadly disease," Aaron sighed, noting the scowl on Charlie's face.

"Aaron's right. Just forget about the whole damn thing," Rachel agreed.

"You two weren't set up by your own family. The nerve of those pricks," Charlie grumbled, pouring himself a steeping cup of tea.

"You know what you need?" Aaron finally asked, after allowing Charlie to stew over his bacon and grits for a while.

"Tell me. What do I need?" Charlie snapped.

"You need a nice morning with the dragons. They won't talk back to you," Aaron answered. Charlie thought about it and sighed. His colleagues were right. He needed to let this whole nonsense go.

"Alright. If you need me, I'll be tending to the colony," he said, standing up.

"You really sure it's wise to send him off to be with the dragons in this mood?" Rachel whispered.

"If it gets hi mind off it, I think it's a brilliant idea," Aaron answered.

Charlie headed across camp towards the cliffs on the outer edge of the grounds. He felt a shiver run up his spine, despite the heat, as he approached the horde of dragons. It was a good kind of shiver. He liked to say it was a shiver of reverence. He hopped the barricade and walked slowly up to a female Hungarian Horntail. She was shading her baby from the sun.

"Hello there," he said, bending down beneath the mother's massive wing. The baby opened its eyes and gazed at Charlie.

"You're lucky you've got some shade around here," Charlie said, sitting down on the ground. The creature merely continued to stare at him. Charlie stopped talking for a while, just enjoying the company of the dragons. He reached out a hand gently and stroked the baby's throat. It gave an excited hiccup of smoke. Charlie's gaze immediately turned to the mother as he'd felt and heard her shift.

"Easy now. You're both fine," he whispered.

"You lot would never do such disrespectful things behind each other's backs," he stated, leaning back on his wrists.

"I suppose that's what I get for being a Weasley," Charlie muttered.

"My brothers set me up on a God awful blind date. I thought I was going to pass out from boredom," he continued, chuckling a bit.

"But you…you'd never do that to me," he laughed. Both baby and mother gave a low rumble and some puffs of smoke.

"I didn't think so," he affirmed.

Some distance away, Aaron and Rachel stood watching their friend pour his feelings out to the dragons.

"You know…he doesn't look entirely mental," Rachel decided aloud.

"I just hope it brightens his mood. Even some of the older dragons seemed to notice his moodiness," Aaron commented.

"Let's also hope Molly doesn't try anything like that again," Rachel sighed.

They watched as Charlie stood up and patted mother and baby on the foreleg before hopping back over the barricade. He jogged slowly to where his coworkers stood.

"Feeling better?" Aaron asked.

"Actually I am. I forgot what good listeners dragons can be," Charlie answered, smiling.

"I told you, they don't talk back," Aaron snickered. With that, the trio set to work.

Back in London, Percy closed the door to their bedroom. He'd just put Prudence down for a nap. He headed for the kitchen and found Penelope reading the Daily Prophet.

"I just put her down. I'm going to go try to get some work done at the Ministry. I'll be home in a few hours," he said, lightly massaging her shoulders as he read the page in front of her.

"Alright. Don't work too hard," she called as he headed for the front hall. Without a backwards glance, he disapparated to his office and sat down. He was determined to find a way to top Ron and George.


	14. Playing Chicken

Playing Chicken

He'd spent the last few hours staring blankly at his desk. For the life of him, Percy couldn't form a plausible plan t even remotely rival Ron and George's attempt. Heaving a sigh, he spun around in his chair and reached for the bag of Floo Powder sitting next to the fireplace.

"Shell Cottage," he said after tossing a handful of powder into the fire. When his vision finally cleared, Percy was looking out into Bill and Fleur's kitchen. He heard footsteps approaching and waited.

"Merlin Perce, don't do that!" Bill yelped.

"Sorry," Percy mumbled. Bill just nodded his head and set down the box he'd been carrying on the table.

"Have you got a minute?" Percy asked as he watched Bill move around the kitchen.

"I suppose. Something on your mind?" the older of the two replied.

"Sort of," the head in the fireplace replied. Bill cleared his throat and took a seat.

"Alright, I'm listening," he said.

"I've been sitting here for hours…and I can't think of a bloody thing," Percy began.

"You're trying to best Ron and George aren't you," Bill exclaimed.

"Maybe…" his brother trailed off.

"Look. I've been thinking…with the baby on its way and everything…Mum should be happy with ten grandkids…just lay off Charlie," Bill sighed, running a hand over his face.

Percy didn't say anything for a while. He let his brother's words sink in. Bill was right; Molly should be content with the grandchildren she had. Besides, Charlie was a grown man and could make his own decisions. For all they knew, marriage just wasn't for Charlie.

"Maybe you're right. I mean….I spent enough time in the past being a complete prick to the rest of the family. I don't need to mess it up now with Mum's scheme," Percy rambled.

"only problem is going to be convincing Mum to let it go," Bill laughed. Just then there was a voice in the background and Bill turned around. He looked slightly embarrassed when he faced Percy again.

"I've got to. Fleur's got another doctor's appointment and she says we're going to be late," he said hurriedly. Percy nodded and watched him go. With a small 'pop' Percy found himself back in his office at the Ministry. He heaved a sigh as he looked around his office. He knew he should be heading home to check on Penelope and the baby.

Half an hour later, Percy walked into the house to find Penelope feeding Prudence in the kitchen. He quickly hung up his cloak in the front hall closet and jointed them, wrapping his arms around his wife.

"How was the office/" she asked.

"Dull. I've been trying to think of a way to help Charlie," Percy began. He knew he'd told her he'd go to do actual work.

"Did you come up with anything?" she questioned, wiping the baby's chin.

"Not exactly," he muttered.

"Well actually not a bloody thing. So I Floo'ed Bill and we had a chat. He said that Mum should just be happy with the family she's got," he admitted.

"In other words, you are chickening out," Penelope laughed. Percy let go of her and took a step back.

"I'm not chickening out," he said defensively.

"I'm just trying to keep in the good graces of the family," he continued.

"Percy, I understand," she said, leaning up to give him a kiss before she picked up Prudence to burp her. They fell into silence as Penelope rocked the little girl in her arms, the child's eyelids starting to droop with slumber.

"I'll put her down," he offered and gently took his daughter. He headed down the hall and laid her in her crib. Prudence stared up at her father as she drifted off to sleep.

Several hundred miles away, Bill and Fleur sat in a waiting room. A woman in a white lab coat walked out and motioned them in. They stood and followed her into the examination room.

"How are you feeling today?" the nurse asked.

"I am fine," Fleur answered, positioning herself on the table.

"Today is just a routine check up," the nurse informed them as she began a Muggle ultrasound. In the time since the Second War, the magical and non-magical worlds had become more intertwined.

"The baby is developing nicely," the nurse continued, a slight English accent evident in her voice.

"You will need to come back in two months," she instructed them and walked out.

"I never thought I would 'ave to go through thees again," Fleur sighed as she got dressed.

"Everything will be fine," Bill murmured as they walked out to pay for the visit.

They donned their coats and headed outside for a stroll in the crisp air before heading home. Bill wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close.

"I had a visit from Percy earlier," he said nonchalantly.

"So zat was who eet was," she commented. He nodded his head as they continued on.

"He thinks we need to convince Mum to stop this whole thing with Charlie," Bill continued.

"I thought 'e wanted to 'elp?" Fleur asked.

"We can't outdo George and Ron…and honestly…when all is said and done, I'd like my brother to still talk to me," Bill admitted as they crossed the street.

"What will Mother think?" she gasped.

"She won't be happy that's for sure. But she should count her blessings," he muttered once they reached a secure point to apparate from.

As soon as they got home, they saw a small owl tapping on the kitchen window, a piece of parchment tied to its leg. Bill opened the window and let the small bird in. He took the letter and gave it some owl pellets before watching it fly away. He unrolled the bit of parchment and scanned the letter's contents. He sighed loudly and handed it over to Fleur.

'_I would like to invite everyone over for dinner tomorrow evening at the Burrow. We can catch up- Mum_' it read. She tossed it on the table and looked at her husband. Bill did not look happy.

"She wants to know why no one has done anything since Ron and George's debacal," Bill grumbled.

"I think you should talk to zem all," she said, placing a hand on his arm.

"You want me to turn my siblings against my mother? That would be suicide!" Bill exclaimed.

"Eef you are all together then she cannot say no, Fleur reasoned.

"Well she can always say no," Bill muttered but took his wife's suggestion into consideration. It could be a way of getting her off this foolish kick.

"Ok…I'll write to them…have them meet here before we go over to Mum's tomorrow," he said, pulling her close to him and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Back in England, Harry had gotten the same letter as everyone else. He knew Ginny would be furious but he was ready for her angry remarks. Thankfully the children were at friends' for the night.

"You know she's just going to insist we work harder," Ginny grumbled.

"Gin, calm down," Harry said from where he sat.

"Calm down? She's ruining his life!" she railed.

"She's just trying to make him happy," Harry muttered. While he knew he wouldn't want Molly interfering in his own love life, he could see her concern for Charlie. He wanted his brother-in-law to be happy too. Ginny's temper was flaring and she tried to form words but they wouldn't come. In the end she just stormed out of the room, her hair electrifyingly red. Harry sat back and just shook his head.

Over at George and Angelina's, George had just received Bill's note. He read it quickly and picked up Fred. The child squirmed in his arms as he went in search of Angelina.

"Angie," he called.

"In here," she replied from the sitting room.

"I just word from Bill. He wants everyone over at his place before we go to Mum's. Says he thinks we might be better off just letting Charlie alone," George summarized.

"Mum won't be too pleased with that idea," Angelina yawned.

"I think his thinking is we all gang up on her, she can't refuse," George snickered.

"For Charlie's sake, I hope all of this works out for the best," Angie sighed, reaching out to take the still squirming infant from his father's arms.

Molly and Arthur had no idea what their children were planning behind their backs. That night, Molly went to bed, content that they would make progress the following evening. After all she wasn't going to wait forever for Charlie to get married. In her mind he needed to get married. She wanted grandchildren and as her son it was his obligation to give her them…right?

Morning finally dawned and the Weasley households began to stir, ready to face the day that would not be forgotten. Far away, the sun was also rising over Romania. Charlie looked at the changing sky and stretched. He had a long day ahead of him.


	15. Status Report

Status Report

That day passed by slowly for the Weasley clan. No one was looking forward to dinner that night. Everyone went about their days, Harry, Hermione, Bill and Percy heading off to the Ministry. During his lunch hour, Harry and Bill ran into each other.

"Hey Harry," Bill called.

"Afternoon. Looking forward to dinner?" Harry asked, trying to laugh a little. It didn't work very well.

"Not really. I really don't want Mum to blow up," Bill answered, cracking a small smile. Harry just nodded his head. He knew none of them wanted to go against Molly, especially with her temper.

"We can do it," Harry sighed. Bill just shrugged and they went their separate ways. He ate his lunch in silence, his mind whirring. A part of him didn't want to go against the grain of his brother and sisters-in-law. But there was another part of him that felt like if he had the right angle he might be able to put Charlie on the right track. Just as he was about to head back to his office, he ran into a young woman.

"Oh I'm sorry," he apologized.

"No it's my fault. I should have been paying attention to where I was going," she countered.

"You're Michelle right?" Harry asked after a minute. As Head Auror, he'd made his personal mission to get to know everyone to some degree in the Ministry.

"Yeah…" she replied with a smile.

"You work in…" he began, trying to recall her department.

"Enforcement and Regulation of Alternative Magic," she filled in.

"Right," he said.

"Well it was nice to see you," she stated and headed down the hall in the opposite direction.

"You too," Harry called and took quick steps back to his office. He rushed into his office and began searching through personnel files from the Alternative Magic department. He finally found her. Harry flipped through her background and finally spotted what he thought he'd recalled; she was a fire starter. Harry smiled to himself as he closed the file and put it back int he drawer.

At Hogwarts, that afternoon found Teddy and Victoire hunkered down at a table in the library. They sat in relative seclusion. They had books open but where not paying much attentions to their contents.

"We should study," Victoire murmured as they pulled apart.

"We can study later," Teddy murmured.

"I sit my OWLs on Tuesday," she protested, giving him a look that could rival Ginny's.

"Ok…fine. We'll study. But you know…sometimes too much studying hurts people," he whispered as Madam Pince walked by.

"After my exams…I promise we won't study anymore," she said with a wink. Teddy smiled broadly as they turned their attention back to the books in front of them.

Several hours later, the pair was walking out of the library when Neville approached them. They gave him a wave and he returned the gesture before they stopped walking.

"Evening, Victoire…Teddy," he greeted.

"Good evening Professor," Teddy replied.

"I was hoping you two could do me a huge favor," Neville said.

"I've been meaning to get Harry in to ref a Quidditch match before the end of the season. Promised the team and all. Do you think you could talk to him the next time you see him?" he questioned, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Sure thing, Professor," Teddy answered. He'd go Floo Harry right now. After all, who wouldn't want to have the famous Harry Potter ref a Quidditch match?

"Wonderful. Thanks so much…and good luck on your OWLs this week, Victoire," Neville called as he headed for the teacher's lounge. Once he was out of earshot, Victoire began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" Teddy demanded as they headed for Gryffindor Tower.

"Nothing…just him asking you to talk to Uncle Harry," she answered.

"He's just giving me an excuse to go bother Harry," Teddy laughed. They reached the Common Room to find it strangely empty.

"I'm going to Floo him real quickly before it starts to fill up," he said, giving her a parting kiss on the cheek. She nodded and headed upstairs. Teddy bent down and tossed in some Floo Powder.

"Harry?" he called once his head appeared in the Potter's living room fireplace.

"Teddy?" Ginny asked, coming into view.

"Oh…hi Aunt Ginny. Is Harry around?" Teddy replied.

"Harry! Floo for you," Ginny called and disappeared.

"Well if it isn't my favorite godson," Harry laughed, sitting on the edge of the coffee tale.

"How are things?" Teddy asked. Harry looked over his shoulder.

"Fine, fine. Look, I've got to be quick. We're off to do some things and you how your Aunt gets when we run late," Harry said hurriedly.

"Oh…sure. Professor Longbottom just asked me to ask you when you're free to re a Quidditch match," Teddy relayed.

"Oh bugger…I told Neville I'd do that didn't I? Bloody hell. I'll write him later. Thanks. Have a good night. Tell Victoire good luck from us on her exams," he said and rushed from the room.

Shortly five of the six Weasley children and their spouses crammed into the kitchen and sitting area of Shell Cottage. Bill looked around at his siblings before speaking.

"I know we're all a bit nervous about dinner tonight," he began.

"A bit…that's an understatement," George called out.

"But…I've done some thinking…and Charlie deserves to do with his life what he wants to. Mum shouldn't try to run it for him," he continued and he received several nods.

"That's what I said from the beginning," Ginny grumbled.

"And we've seen the error of our ways," Ron muttered to her.

"Now…we've got to be firm tonight with Mum," Percy interjected.

"With all of us, she can't possibly say no," Bill agreed.

"Alright…we'd better get going then. Don't want her to get worried," Hermione said and stood up.

"Or suspicious," Ron mumbled.

With that couples began to disapparate at intervals. If they all showed up at once it would definitely look odd. Twenty minutes later everyone had arrived and gathered around the table. Molly beamed at her children, having no clue what they had in store for her. They managed to enjoy a nice meal together. Molly's cooking was always a good reason to get together.

"Ginny dear, have some more pie," Molly said as pies and pastries circulated the table.

"No thanks, Mum. I've had enough," Ginny declined, passing the tin on to her left. George took a large slice from the mince pie. Bill and Percy kept sharing anxious glances with each other. They wanted this to be over.

After what felt like an eternity, the meal had finished and dishes had been set to cleaning themselves. The family reconvened in the sitting room, all crammed into armchairs and sofas.

"I hope everyone is having a wonderful end of winter," Molly began as if she was conducting a business meeting. Bill looked around the room and received glances from everyone else saying 'get on with it'.

"Uh…Mum," he interrupted.

"Yes, dear?" she asked.

"We've been doing some thinking about…the…situation," Bill began. Molly's eyes lit up and she nodded for him to continue.

"We think that we should stop trying to interfere with Charlie's life," he said as firmly as he could.

'Nonsense," Molly refuted.

"Mum…did you ever stop to think…maybe Charlie isn't the marrying type? He's practically married to his work as it is," Ginny threw in.

"He needs to be married…a father," she rambled.

"Mum, no he doesn't. You've got nine grandkids…ten when Fleur delivers. That should be enough," Bill said, taking her by the hands to keep her attention.

"Yeah, Mum…count your blessings," Ron added.

"I…I see. Well…if you aren't going to support your brother's romantic interests then I suppose I will just have to do it on my own then," she said with a sniff.

"No Mum. We need to just let it go," Hermione interjected.

"We tried and we failed. He doesn't want our help," George added from where he sat, rocking Fred in his lap.

Molly looked around at the room full of people and pulled her hands from hr son's grasp. With as much composure as she could maintain she stood up and walked out of the room. Arthur was on his feet immediately.

"I'll try and calm her down," he said and disappeared.

"I think we should leave before she does something really rash…like turns us all into toads or something," Harry voiced.

"Or worse…dish rags," Ron gulped. As quietly as they could, people began to head home. Harry and Ginny arrived home and hung up their cloaks in the closet.

"What did Teddy want?" Ginny asked.

"Just to tell me that Neville wants me to go ref a Quidditch match by the end of the season," Harry answered.

"I'll write Neville tomorrow with an answer," he said with a yawn. He wasn't really that tired but he knew Ginny wouldn't be going to bed for a while.

"I'm going to take a bath," she called and headed for the bathroom. He waited until the door shut and water started to move through the pipes before he headed for her office. He was of course going to write Neville but he had another letter he needed to write as well.


	16. To The Letter

To The Letter

The following morning, Harry was up early. Ginny walked into the kitchen to find him pouring two cups of coffee. He set it in front of her and gave her a kiss.

"Why are you up so early?" she asked as she stifled a yawn.

"Guess I just wanted to get a head start on the day," Harry answered, reaching for the toast that had just popped up from the toaster. Ginny just shook her head and had a sip of coffee.

"I'm going to pick the children up later. I was thinking we could go to the pub for dinner," she suggested.

"Sounds good. I'll be home early then," he said and kissed her again before walking out of the room with his toast.

"Eat that before you go through the Floo!" she called to him. Harry stopped walking and sighed. He shoveled the toast down his throat before stepping through the fireplace. When he arrived in the heart of the Ministry, he headed straight for the Owlry to mail his letter to Neville.

"Morning Harry," a couple of fellow Aurors greeted when he walked in.

"Morning Davies…Mullany," he replied as he picked out an owl. He picked up a small bird and attached the letter.

"Off you go," he said and the owl took off through an open window. He could still feel the other letter in his pocket.

"Have a good day, sir," Davies called as Harry walked out of the large room.

"Does he seem a bit off to you today?" Mullany whispered as Harry turned the corner.

"Nah. He seems fine," Davies answered.

Once Harry reached his office, he informed his secretary he had some important files to look over and that he shouldn't be disturbed. It was pretty much a lie but he wanted to make sure that his plan had no flaws. He pulled the letter from his pocket and unfolded it. Next he pulled out Michelle's file again to recheck the information he'd included. The letter read;

_Charlie,_

_I want to apologize for what we tried to do behind your back. It was low and completely immature. (It was Mum's idea). While I don't want you to think I'm trying to force you into anything, I thought I'd pass on some information._

_There is a woman that works at the Ministry in the Enforcement and Regulation of Alternative Magic department. Her name is Michelle Stephens. I've included her address and Muggle phone number at the bottom of this letter._

_Don't feel pressured to contact her. I just thought she might like to get to know you. She seems to really like dragons. She's also a fire starter. I haven't actually seen what she does but I'd imagine it would be pretty impressive._

_All the best,_

_Harry_

He double checked her contact information and pulled out his wand. With a quick tap, the piece of parchment duplicated itself. He se the duplicated copy aside and rolled up the original. Harry scribbled Charlie's address on it and set it in the mail bin on the edge of his desk.

He stared down at the duplicate letter and tapped his chin for a moment. He cast a simple altering charm and began to scribble out lines and replace them with others. When he was finished, he ended the charm. The letter was now addressed to Michelle. He tapped it on the desk for a minute. He finally decided he'd use Owl post for her letter as well.

"Harry," his secretary called from just outside his door.

"Come on in," he replied. She poked her head in.

"The Minister was wondering if you were free for lunch," she said. Harry grinned.

"Tell him I'm definitely free," Harry answered with a smirk. Why Kingsley couldn't just walk to few meters down the corridor and ask him himself was beyond him.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. Harry caught up some paperwork he'd been neglecting before going to meet Kingsley for lunch. On his way, he made a second trip to the Owlry. He picked out two barn owls and sent them on their way.

"How is everything?" Kingsley asked the younger man as they sat in the Minister's office.

"It's alright. Mum's blown a fuse but I'm sure she'll survive," Harry answered.

"What has Molly all riled up?" Kingsley chuckled.

"Over Christmas, she decided we…the entire family, was going to set Charlie up," Harry admitted.

"Ron and George had a go and it was a disaster. We all decided to just let him be and Mum blew up about it…claims she's going to have to do it herself," he continued.

"Poor boy," the Minister sighed, shaking his head.

"I sort of…snuck behind everyone's backs though. I sent him a letter," Harry whispered, as if someone could be spying on him.

"One last effort?" Kingsley asked and Harry nodded.

"I ran into Michelle Stephens from ERAM yesterday. I checked her file. She seems like she and Charlie might be a good fit," Harry explained.

"A fire starter and a dragon tamer. How appropriate," Kingsley agreed.

"I don't know if I'll be successful or not," Harry murmured.

"You tried. I'm sure she's a much better fit than whoever Ron and George selected," Kingsley said with a knowing grin. Harry didn't say anything. He just laughed.

Hundreds of miles away, Charlie looked up from his own lunch to see the barn owl circling the dining barracks. He stood up and caught the bird as it dive bombed his head. He detached the letter and fed it a bit of corned beef before he let it fly off.

"What you get?" Aaron asked.

"Looks like Harry's writing," Charlie muttered. He opened it and read the contents. Charlie groaned and sunk back to the chair.

"Not another set up attempt," Aaron gasped after having taken the letter from his friend.

"At least he's being straight about it," Charlie sighed.

"I don't know mate. She sounds like she might be interesting. A fire starter. You'd get to test someone else's fire," Aaron teased.

"Is that supposed to be a subtle but crude dragon reference?" Charlie scoffed.

"Maybe," Aaron chortled.

"I don't know…I don't really like blind dates. They tend to be…disastrous," Charlie commented.

"So you had one bad date. This woman sounds like she's worth at least talking to," Aaron said, tossing the letter back on the table. Charlie sighed and looked down at it again. He couldn't just write to her…what would he say? My brother-in-law set me up? He shook his head and tucked the letter into his jacket before heading out to tend the brood.

Afternoon passed into evening and people began to head home for the day. Harry had already left to meet Ginny and the kids at the pub for dinner when Michelle locked up her office. She tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. She stowed her keys in her purse and headed for the elevator. On her way out she ran into Kingsley.

"Evening, Minister," She greeted.

"Good evening, Michelle," he replied, smiling at her. When they reached the ground floor they parted ways. She found an open fireplace and Floo'ed home. Upon her arrival, she found a small barn owl perched on the ledge of her kitchen window.

"Hello there," she said, taking the letter from its leg. She hunted around for some owl pellets before sending it on its way. She opened the letter and sat down to read the contents.

_Michelle,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. I know it is strange that I am writing to you but I thought I would pass on some information to you._

_My brother-in-law, Charlie, works in Romania. His expertise is in dragons. He's a great bloke. I've included his address at the bottom of this letter._

_Don't feel pressured to contact him. I just thought he might like to get to know you. You seem to share an affinity for dragons and fire._

_Cordially yours,_

_Harry J. Potter_

_Head Auror_

Michelle stared at the letter and reread it. Had the Head of the Auror department really given her his brother-in-law's address and told her to contact him? She didn't know Harry that well but she didn't think he went about trying to play Cupid. She set the letter on the table and stood up. She'd think about it. She did like dragons but Romania was a long way away, even by apparition standards. What would she tell him? Your brother-in-law told me to contact you?

"Bloody ridiculous," she muttered to herself.

That night, both she and Charlie drifted off to sleep, their subconscious thought consumed with the other. Why on earth would they want to try and contact each other? What was Harry really up to?

The next morning, Michelle was sitting on the couch in her living room, staring at the letter again. She looked at Charlie's address for what felt like the millionth time. She couldn't help but at least feel curious about his work with dragons. Ever since she'd discovered her power, she'd been fascinated with dragons.

"Ok…fine. You win," she grumbled to the piece of parchment.


	17. Face To Face

Face To Face

Michelle wrote a lengthy letter to Charlie but she didn't send it. She doubted herself. She never had been one to go on blind dates. So the letter sat in the top drawer of her desk at work for almost a month before she thought about it again. By this time, Hogwarts had let out for the summer holiday. She had the window open in her office and was enjoying the breeze when the door opened.

"Hi Shannon," she said, sitting up straight. A girl about seventeen walked in. Her dark hair was pulled up out of her face.

"Have a seat," Michelle said and the girl sat.

"What brings you by today?"

"I…I've been having trouble focusing lately…and I keep getting overwhelmed," Shannon answered. Shannon possessed the ability of empathy and at times it could be taxing.

"Have you been using the relaxing techniques we talked about?" Michelle questioned. Shannon nodded.

Part of Michelle's job was to counsel the children who were a part of their department. Any human who manifested an ability not commonly associated with standard wizard magic was referred to ERAM. Michelle was head of the juvenile division.

"I think you just keep up with the techniques and let me know how you feel. The school year just ended and emotions are high," Michelle reminded the girl.

"Thanks," Shannon said, starting to stand up.

"You're feeling anxious," she blurted before she could stop herself. Michelle gave the girl a small smile.

"I'm sorry," Shannon apologized.

"It's ok. You're right. I am kind of nervous. But I think I know what I can do to get rid of the anxiety," Michelle said. She pulled open the drawer and picked up the letter.

"Let me walk you out," she offered. The pair exited the department and headed for the elevators. Michelle waved goodbye to Shannon and headed for the Owlry. She picked a grey spotted owl and attached the letter.

"Let's hope this works," she breathed as she walked out of the large room.

A few hours later, Charlie received the letter. He sat down on the edge of one of the pens to read it. He didn't recognize the handwriting.

_Dear Charlie,_

_I feel kind of silly writing this letter. After all, I don't really know anything about you. But your brother-in-law said I should get in touch. And I trust his judgment._

_He did mention that you work with dragons. I am a big fan of dragons…though I have to say I've never really seen one up close. I have read every book about them that I can get y hands on since I was about nine._

_If you're interested we could meet for coffee sometime. I usually get home around six if you prefer to use the Floo._

_The best,_

_Michelle Stephens_

_Enforcement and Regulation of Alternative Magic_

_Juvenile Division Department Head_

Charlie couldn't help but laugh at how she'd signed it. So this was the woman Harry had written him about. His laughter grew louder as he realized Harry must have also written to Michelle. Rachel caught Charlie busting a gut and walked over.

"What's so funny?" she asked, leaning on the pen. A few of the younger dragons were rustling in annoyance.

"I just got a letter from the woman at the Ministry Harry wrote me about," Charlie answered, handing it over.

"Bloody hell. Works for the Ministry. Don't you have enough of those in the family already?" she teased.

"I don't know…do you think I should meet her? She seems sincere. And Harry said she's a fire starter," Charlie asked.

"A fire starter. Aren't many of those around," Rachel commented, looking impressed.

"It can't hurt. I mean…she actually sounds interested in what you do…unlike the last train wreck," she said. Charlie nodded and hopped off the edge of the pen. He checked his watch.

"It should be almost six there," he said and headed off to his tent. Luckily he'd had a fireplace put in for just such purposes.

Charlie sat down and stared at the fireplace for a moment. He didn't want to seem too eager. He also didn't want to startle her. He checked his watch again and let out a sigh. It was now or never. He lit a fire and threw in some powder. His head appeared in a small sitting area. He heard footsteps.

"Oh Merlin!" Michelle exclaimed, having just noticed Charlie's head in the fire.

"Uh…are you Michelle?" he asked.

"It depends…who the bloody hell are you?" she replied, her hand still clutching her chest.

"Charlie Weasley…you wrote me a letter. My brother-in-law, Harry, gave you my address," he said. She visibly relaxed.

"Oh…oh right! I forgot I'd said to Floo," she said, laughing a little as she pulled an armchair over in front of the fireplace.

"To be honest, I wrote that letter a month ago," she said, blushing more. Charlie laughed a little.

"So…" he trailed off.

"So…" she repeated.

"You have a very nice sitting room," he complimented. It was after all, the only thing in the house he could see.

"Thank you. It's not all that exciting around here really. Mostly just doing paperwork," Michelle sighed.

"Working with users of alternative magic though…must be interesting, Charlie commented.

"Oh it is. I wouldn't be working at Ministry if I was in any other department," she replied. Charlie's head turned and his brow furrowed.

"Is something wrong?" Michelle questioned.

"I think we have a possible escape attempt. I'm sorry to cut this short," he said and started to disappear.

"Would you like to meet for coffee tomorrow? Maybe do lunch?" she called hastily. Charlie's face reappeared.

"Alright…what time?" he replied.

"Noon?" she asked.

"Sure…noon your time…where?" he answered.

"We can meet here," she said.

"I'll see you then," he said with a smile and disappeared. She watched the fire die and sat back in the chair. That had gone surprisingly well. And he didn't seem all that creepy. He was even kind of cute…well as cute as a face could be when it was being engulfed by fire. Michelle stood up and pushed the chair back to where it belonged.

The following day at noon, Michelle was sitting in the kitchen when there was a 'pop' and a knock on the front door. She stood up and went to open it.

"Hi," Charlie greeted.

"Hi," she replied.

"I'm not late am I? Time difference and all tends to mess me up," he babbled.

"No, you're right on time," she assured him, grabbing her coat. Together they headed into town and found a small coffee shop. They grabbed a table in the back and sat down.

"You're a lot taller in person," she said nervously.

"You should see my brother, Ron…talk about tall," Charlie joked.

"This may sound like a silly question but are you related to Hermione?" she asked.

"Not a silly question at all. Yes…she's my sister-in-law. Also related to Bill too," he answered.

"Do you have brothers who own a joke shop in Hogsmeade?" she pressed.

"Yes…Ron and George…pains in the arse those two are," he answered.

"Oh my…I feel like a complete sleaze. They were raffling you off and…I entered," she rasped.

"You entered that stupid thing?" Charlie asked, looking shocked. She meekly nodded her head.

"Blimey…I wish you would have won," he sighed.

"Some blond air head won…worst night of my life," he said, trying to laugh.

"I'm so sorry," she said, instinctively placing a hand atop his. Just then a waitress came over to take their orders. Once she'd left, Charlie turned back.

"So…when did you graduate from Hogwarts?" he asked.

"Oh…about ten years ago," she answered. He nodded.

"So you work with dragons. Is it thrilling?" she asked.

"It's what I've always wanted to do…study them. So I' living the dream," he explained, rolling up his sleeves a little to show the burn marks.

"War wounds?" she asked as the waitress brought their food.

"You could call them that," he answered. They fell into silence as they ate. They glanced at one another fleetingly, averting quickly when they realized the other was looking.

"So…Harry said you were a fire starter," he said, sipping his coffee.

"I bet he went through my file," she chuckled.

"That's Harry for you," Charlie snorted.

"But yes…I am. It's kind of a recessive gene. Both of my parents had it…I got both from them...made it dominant…at least that's how a girl down the street explained it," she said.

"So do you…breathe fire?" he asked. Michelle burst out laughing.

"I'm not a dragon in human clothing," she laughed.

"I control it mostly with my hands," she answered, setting down her mug. She held out her hand and concentrated. A small flame of fire appeared to sprout out from her palm. Charlie reached out and waved a couple fingers over the flame. He gave her a wink before he leaned over and gently blew the flame out. She smiled broadly as she created a flame in her left hand, making it bounce between her palms effortlessly.

"Most impressive hands," he said.


	18. Little Secrets

Little Secrets

Summer was passing by quickly this year. It was almost the beginning of August and the Weasley clan was growing anxious for school to start. Victoire had done exceptionally well on her OWLs and James was set to start school this September. He'd been begging Harry since July to go buy him his school books.

"James! Stop pestering your father," Ginny called from the kitchen.

"But why can't we get them now?" James begged.

"We have to wait for your letter," Harry answered.

"But don't you know what books they are already?" his son asked.

"You have to wait just like everyone else," his father replied and stood up.

At Bill and Fleur's, Victoire and Teddy were sitting outside, looking out over the cliffs. They were snuggled close together. They'd finally come clean to Bill and Fleur last month. To Teddy's surprise, Bill had been fine with it.

"Can you believe this is my last year?" Teddy sighed.

"I wish you didn't have to graduate this year," Victoire sighed.

"I'll come visit next year. I promise," he said, leaning in to kiss her cheek.

"So are you excited that baby is coming?" he asked.

"I can't wait. Mum keeps saying its going to be another girl but Dad's convinced it's a boy," she answered.

"Haven't they asked the doctor what gender the baby is?" Teddy mused.

"They decided not to," she muttered with a shrug.

"I'm sure it will be fine either way," Teddy whispered.

"So have you heard how much James is pestering Uncle Harry about school?" Victoire questioned.

"I hear it every time I'm there. He's asked me about a dozen times to take him to get his books and robes behind Harry's back," Teddy answered with a snort. Victoire laughed and they toppled over onto the grass. From inside, Fleur watched her eldest daughter, her hands resting on her large abdomen.

"Mum…" Celeste called from the doorway. Fleur turned around.

"What ees eet, Celeste?" she asked.

"Our book list just arrived," the girl replied, holding up three envelopes. Fleur smiled at her youngest daughter and went to call Teddy and Victoire in.

"Teddy! Victoire! Zee owls 'ave brought your school letters," she called. Teddy and Victoire were on their feet and inside within minutes.

"So when can we go to get books?" Celeste asked

"We should probably make sure James got his letter too. We can all go together," Teddy muttered.

In Romania, Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of his tent. He knew she didn't mean to be late but he was anxious to see her. They'd been planning this visit since the beginning of July.

"Oi! Would you stop pacing like that?" Aaron called.

"She's late," Charlie muttered.

"Time difference, mate. She'll be here," Aaron stated. Not two seconds later there was a 'pop' and Michelle appeared.

"I'm so sorry I'm late. One of my clients wouldn't leave," she apologized, running up to Charlie.

"It's fine," he said and took her bag from her.

"You ready to see some beauties up close?" Charlie asked once he'd put her belongings in his tent.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said, sounding excited.

They headed over to the pens and Michelle let out a breath in shock. They'd corralled off part of the brood just for this occasion. Charlie easily hopped the fence and offered his hand to her.

"Come on," he said. She took it and climbed over.

"They're so beautiful," she breathed as they approached a mother.

"Yeah they are," Charlie agreed, reaching out his hand to stroke the large creature under the chin.

"You can touch her," he told Michelle. She tentatively reached out a hand and stroke the dragon's course hide. She laughed a little at the sensation. The dragon seemed to be enjoying it immensely. Just then, the baby who had been taking refuge under its mother's large wing stuck its head out.

"Oh…look at you," Michelle whispered, bending down.

"They like you," Charlie remarked as the baby inched closer to the woman.

""You think?" she asked, beaming up at him.

"I think they can sense your power," Charlie stated, bending down to the baby's level.

Just then the baby hiccupped a bit of fire. Michelle reached out and caught it, holding it in the palm of her hand. Both mother and baby watched her with curiosity as she bounced it in her hand. With a smirk, she closed her hand around the flame and it went out.

"That was impressive," Aaron called from behind them. Michelle blushed.

"Thank you," she said.

"Dinner is ready," he said. Charlie stood up and helped Michelle up.

Dinner passed quickly and Charlie and Michelle found themselves sitting in camping chairs. They were staring up at the clear night sky. He reached over and took her hand in his.

"I'm glad we finally got to do this," she sighed.

"So am I," he replied.

"You know…Harry hasn't asked me at all whether we're seeing each other," Michelle noted.

"Really?" Charlie asked.

"Not once," she affirmed.

"I think Mum's finally calmed down over this whole thing. I got a few nasty letters back in June but they've stopped. I'm hoping everyone else convinced her to just let it go " he said.

"Won't they be surprised," she laughed.

"Yes…they will," he agreed.

"So why haven't you told them?" she asked after a brief moment of silence.

"I don't know…maybe I just want to surprise them at Christmas," he said with a small shrug.

"So do I take it I'm invited to Christmas dinner?" she asked.

"Absolutely," he answered, leaning over and kissing her.

August slowly passed into September. Books had been bought, trunks had been packed and the Hogwarts Express was puffing smoke when the Weasleys appeared to wish James, Celeste, Victoire and Teddy off for their first term.

"Be good," Ginny said, hugging James tightly.

"Mum…you're embarrassing me," James said, wiggling free of her grip.

"Behave yourself. Don't give the teachers a hard time," Harry lectured, ruffling his son's hair.

"I won't Dad," he called and headed for the train.

"Have a good year," Harry said, clapping Teddy on the back.

"I will…Merlin I still can't believe it's my last year," Teddy sighed.

"'Ave a good term," Fleur said, bending down to kiss Celeste on the cheek.

"Bye Mum," she called, following Teddy and Victoire. Just as Fleur wet to wave back, she doubled over. Bill put a hand on her shoulder.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think zee baby ees coming," she answered. Victoire looked back to see her mother doubled over and sprinted off the train.

"Get on the train, Victoire. Your mother is fine," Bill ordered.

"Dad…please. Why can't we be here?" Victoire begged.

"Let zem come," Fleur said, straightening up as best she could. Celeste stepped off the train too and joined her sister.

"I'll send word to the Headmaster. You can Floo there after the baby's born," Bill sighed. The rest of the family crowded around them, trying their best to help Fleur out of the train station.

"Is Aunt Fleur ok?" Rose asked once they were past the barrier.

"She is going to be fine. The baby is coming," Hermione answered.

"Another baby!" Lily said, skipping a little.

"You knew the baby was coming for nine months dummy," Albus retorted.

"Albus, don't talk that way to your sister," Ginny scolded.

Several hours later, Fleur was in the hospital surrounded by as many family members as the nurse would allow. Her water had broken about ten after they'd arrived and her cervix was nearly entirely dilated.

"Has anyone told Mum?" Bill asked, looking around at his siblings.

"Tell zem after zee baby ees born," Fleur asked, breathing through another contraction. Just then the doctor walked in and sat at the end of the bed.

"You're doing marvelous. Keep pushing through those contraction and we'll have ourselves a baby in no time," he said, smiling up at Fleur. She bore down as hard as she could and the baby's head came into view.

"Keep going, Mum…I see the head," Victoire exclaimed. Celeste watched her mother fight through the pain from the corner of the room. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Hermione.

"How are you doing sweetie?" she asked her niece.

"Ok…" Celeste murmured. Fleur let out a cry and the rest of baby came out. A nurse leaned over the doctor's shoulder and picked up the infant.

"It's a boy!" the doctor exclaimed. Murmurs circulated around the room and Bill beamed wildly.

"I have a little boy," he sniffed, leaning up to kiss Fleur's flushed cheek.

"Here you go," the nurse said, handing the infant to his father.

"Happy Birthday son," he whispered.

"He have a name?" Harry asked. Bill and Fleur shared a look. Victoire and Celeste moved closer to examine their new sibling. Celeste brushed the top of his head with her hand lightly, ruffling the peach fuzz.

"William," Fleur replied before Bill could even open his mouth.


	19. Christmas Evens

Christmas Evens

The weather was changing fast this fall. It grew colder in the start of October. The first snow fell just after Thanksgiving. Charlie had purposely avoided Thanksgiving with the family. He wanted Michelle to be a complete surprise. Instead he'd spent the holiday with her family; her mother and stepfather and brother. They'd been impressed with Charlie's choice of career.

"Well I can't think of anyone more well suited for my little sister," Jared said with a smile, clapping Charlie on the shoulder as they left.

"Thank you. Perhaps you'd all like to come to Romania and meet my fine flying friends," Charlie offered.

"Oh that's so kind of you," Michelle's mother said.

Presently, snow was falling in thick blankets over London. People were wrapped up in scarves and thick coats. Molly had cleared a large patch in the backyard for people to apparate to. Arthur was finishing setting the table.

"Molly dear, how many settings will we need?" he called.

"The usual," Molly answered as she shook her skirt off in the doorway.

Over at the Potter household, James had just arrived. He'd been visiting Teddy and Andromeda the last few days.

"Is it time to go to Grandma's yet?" Lily asked.

"Yes…come on. Coats everybody," Harry called.

"Will we see Uncle Charlie?" she asked a Ginny helped her with the left sleeve.

"Probably," Ginny answered.

Not far away, George and Angelina were getting ready to make the trip to the Burrow as well. She'd dressed Fred in a red and gold outfit. He'd gotten big since last Christmas. He was hanging on to the edge of a chair in the kitchen, his padded feet doing a little dance on the floor.

"There's my boy!" George said, scooping the child up in his arms. The sudden change in altitude made Fred giggle with delight.

"Let's get going. We don't want to be late," Angie said, trying to put Fred's hat on.

"We aren't going to be late, Angie," George assured her. Still, the took the child from him and slid his arms through his coat.

Bill, Fleur and the children were the first to arrive. They walked into the kitchen to find Molly standing over several pots on the stove.

"Happy Christmas, Mum," Bill said.

"Oh, I didn't hear you come in," Molly said, looking a bit startled. Victoire held baby William in her arms.

"Oh hello my precious little darling," Molly gushed, whisking the child from his sister's arms.

"Looks like we're first here. Why don't you girls go see if Granddad needs any help," Bill instructed. Celeste and Victoire went in search of Arthur.

Shortly, Percy, Penelope and Prudence arrived. Bill and Fleur were sitting in the living room, watching William wiggle around on the floor. Prudence took careful, wobbly steps towards her cousin and plopped down on the floor.

"Looks like you have a playmate," Bill said, tickling his son's stomach.

"Happy Christmas," Percy said, shaking his brother's hand and giving Fleur a hug.

"Can you believe she's a year old already?" Penelope sighed, leaning against Percy's arm.

"They grow up fast," Bill agreed. From the kitchen they heard more voices and Rose stuck her head in.

"Mum, can I play with the babies?" she called.

"Ask your aunts and uncles," Hermione replied.

"Come on over Rosie," Bill said. She scurried over to where th babies lay. Twenty minutes later, Harry and company arrived by Floo.

"Sorry we're late," he called, dusting off his robes.

"We're still waiting on George and Angie," Ron said as he gave his sister a hug.

"And Uncle Charlie," Celeste added. Molly just gave her granddaughter a small smile and headed back into the kitchen. Not two minutes later the back door burst open and George came in.

"We're here!" he called loudly.

"Don't need to wake the bloody dead," Ron hissed.

"Sorry," George whispered.

"Fleur's watching the little ones in the other room," Hermione said as Angelina walked in with Fred.

In the heart of London, Michelle pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She checked her make up one last time and pulled her coat on. Charlie stuck his head in from the kitchen.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Let's go," she said with a broad grin. They took hands and apparated to the Burrow. Michelle looked around.

"You're sure all of your family can fit in there?" she asked with a giggle.

"You'd be surprised what Mum can do," Charlie answered, ushering her towards the back door. He peered into the kitchen window. Everyone was starting to head for the table.

"Looks like we're right on time," he added as he pulled the back door open.

Inside everyone had started to take seats. Harry looked at the empty seat next to him. He hoped Charlie would show up…that he wasn't still mad about Molly's scheme. Just then they all heard the back door open and Charlie appeared. It looked like he was alone and Harry's stomach dropped a little.

"I'm on time," he said, sitting down next to Harry.

"Happy Christmas, Charlie," Ginny said.

"Oh…Mum, we're going to need another chair," Charlie said and Michelle walked in. Every mouth in the room dropped. Arthur scrambled to his feet and went in search of another chair. Bill was on his feet as well, getting another place setting. Once Michelle was situated, Charlie looked around the table.

"Everyone, this is Michelle," he introduce.

"Michelle…this is…well everyone," he said with a laugh.

"It's nice to meet you all. I know some of you," she said, looking directly over at Harry. Lily who was sitting to Michelle's left tapped her on the arm.

"Are going to marry Uncle Charlie?" she asked. Michelle blushed a little.

"Well I don't know…do you think I should?" she asked. Lily shook her head vehemently.

"Let's take it one step at a time there Lilybug," Charlie stated, smiling down at his niece.

Dinner passed by with great joy. Everyone wanted to know about Michelle. Those who didn't work at the Ministry peppered her with questions about the department.

"So you were part of the founding of the department. That's great," Ginny said as Molly brought out desserts.

"Yes…well I helped set up the juvenile division. My counterpart in the adult division is a bit of a…well…a bit bossy," she said with a laugh, minding her language in front of the children.

"So…how long have you and Charlie been seeing one another?" Molly finally asked. Charlie ran a hand over his face.

"Mum come on…not now," Charlie begged but she didn't back down.

"Since June," he answered.

"Six months and you're just introducing us to her now?" Molly railed.

"I wanted it to be a surprise, Mum," Charlie said.

"Well it certainly was," Arthur replied.

"I have to say though, I owe most of it to Harry," Charlie announced.

"No…you really don't," Harry replied, sounding nervous.

"Course I do. Without you, Michelle and I never would have met," Charlie said.

"It was really nothing," Harry mumbled. He could feel Ginny's glare boring into him. Charlie caught his sister's glare.

"Gin, come on. Take it easy on him. He did it nicely too. A nice little letter. Didn't put an pressure on me at all," Charlie explained.

"You went behind our backs," Ron gasped.

"Well…I'm sorry. I saw an opportunity and I took it. Don't complain…not one of you. Charlie is happy," Harry retorted.

"I was surprised you never checked up on us," Michelle addressed Harry.

"I didn't want to impose," Harry answered.

"Well I'm glad he took a stab at it," Molly voiced.

"Mum…don't start," Charlie begged and she just smiled at him.

They ended up retiring to the living room, all cramming around the tree for presents. Michelle found herself sitting next to George.

"You know…I think I've seen you before," he said.

"I was the first person to enter that raffle," Michelle whispered back.

"Oh…shame we didn't pick you," he sighed.

"Yeah…then we'd be getting all the glory," Ron added.

"Let's just say, Harry's more adept at observing people than people give him credit for," Hermione hissed. Harry watched his children open their presents.

"What did you get us, Uncle Charlie?" Albus asked, tugging on Charlie's arm.

"Yeah?" Hugo and James asked in unison.

"What did I get you?" he asked and they nodded.

He grabbed the three boys and tackled them to the floor. They mass of limbs and heads started laughing as Charlie tickled them until their sides hurt.

"I got you all…that's what I got," he rasped, out of breath. Just then Lily and Rose jumped on him and they tumbled about, sending the room into fits of laughter. Michelle smiled as she watched him wrestle with his nieces and nephews.

"It's not Romania…but it certainly was entertaining," George snickered.

"He'll be a great Dad one day," Ginny said, sitting next to her.

"Yes…he will. And I'd imagine he'd let them go riding dragons," Michelle laughed. Ginny smiled at the woman's comment.

"Just don't tell the boys," Ginny whispered.


End file.
